A Day in the Life of a Crazed Mom

Migraine #2

2011-06-29T21:12:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning with a migraine. After posting yesterday about the one last week. What in the world?? I have no idea what caused it. We had new friends coming over to swim today so instead of starting my investigating, I put on dark sunglasses, crept to a lawn chair, and apologized for not cleaning up the back yard before they got here. You see, after a migraine I can't bend. Or move my eyes. Or my head.

After they'd gone and I had fixed a light dinner, I started trying to figure it out. I can't have canned broth or bouillon cubes so I use a soup base I get at Sam's. I wondered if that had suddenly started causing it. MSG is only an addictive flavor enhancer that makes you want more of whatever it's in. There are some substitutes for it that haven't caused reactions in me...but might be now.

I am about to drive myself crazy worrying about it. So I'm going to bed just giving up and deciding it was a fluke.

I really really really hope it's a fluke. Two migraines in a week is two too many.

Migraines

2011-06-28T15:57:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday we left tumbling at 7 with no idea what I was going to fix for dinner. Tumbling at 6 throws my meal planning for a loop. I either need to put something in the Crock Pot, or just plead ignorance and ask to go out. McKinley couldn't stand the indecision and said she'd buy dinner at our local BBQ place.

I love their chopped brisket sandwiches and okra. I used to love their fries also but had a reaction over a year ago after eating them. Not a migraine, but I started getting really hot and my heart raced after eating a few of them. Shortly after that I went to dinner with a group of girls and the wife of the owner of the BBQ place. I asked her if she knew if they'd changed the seasoning salt on their fries. That's usually the culprit. She said they hadn't made any changes. Still, I didn't eat them the next several times we went there. After all, the sandwich, okra, and fries are a bit of a calorie load. (Haven't we just been talking about my inability to lose weight?? Hmmm...) But on that Wednesday night I couldn't help myself. Reagan had asked for okra but was given fries instead. While she was waiting for her okra the fries were staring at me. How can you turn down fries that are begging to be eaten? I had some and had no reaction so I had some more.

Wouldn't you know it? I had a migraine Thursday. My usual fix of oil pulling beat it but I still took it easy the rest of the day. So now I'm typing this all out and sending it out to the blogger universe so that I'll remember not to eat those fries again!

Such a shame though...they're really good fries.

But nothing tastes as good as being migraine free feels.

Maybe I should write that down somewhere.....

Amazing Friends

2011-06-27T15:25:00.030-05:00

We spent Friday night and Saturday with my wonderful friend Debbie and her girls Amanda and Emily. The girls are on their towns YMCA triathlon team and our little town had an event Saturday morning.

I know I've run two half marathons but there's no way I would ever do a triathlon. Mainly because I can't move my right arm in a circle to swim correctly. I bet the other competitors would laugh at me if I was dog paddling.

But these girls have started young and accomplished amazing things.

My girls and I went out Saturday morning to watch them. They swam in our community pool (I guess it's not a good idea to have young children doing open water swims), road their bikes around the neighborhood, and ran laps around a local park. I.was.amazed. There were children of all ages. My girls were also amazed and I even heard a few comments of how they'd like to do it. And then a teenage girl crossed the finish line and threw up. No one said anything after that.

Still, we had a wonderful time with Debbie and her girls and we're so proud of them!

Now we need them to come back and just spend the day floating with us in the pool. I'm worn out from watching them:c)

I Guess It Was Time

2011-06-24T14:46:00.005-05:00

My 20th high school reunion is less than a month away.

I need to lose 50 pounds in about 3 1/2 weeks.

If I don't lose 50 pounds I at least need to get a tan so the extra weight will look better.

I'm getting my hair highlighted and plan on getting a pedicure.

I'll still searching for the perfect dress for the Friday night event.

And today I did something I didn't think I'd ever do.

I bought a serum.

Yep, I'm officially old.

But I'm going to fight it to the bitter end.

Blood Work

2011-06-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

I've been struggling with weight loss and have just about decided I'll always be stuck at this weight. After all I've trained for and run two half marathons in the last 2 1/2 years and I use a calorie counter on my phone to keep myself accountable. Yet I've lost and gained the same 10 pounds that whole time. A friend mentioned she'd had her hormones tested and suggested I do the same.

I called my doctor and told the nurse what I wanted and she assured me they did that. So when I went in earlier in the week and was pretty ticked to find out I paid $25 for him to tell me he didn't do that type of blood work but could give me a weight loss drug if I wanted one. Um...no thanks. He did ask me about my eating habits and soft drink usage. Still $25 and an hour of my life and I got nothing. Well, I kept my blood. I really do like my blood.

So I went across the hall and made an appointment with the doctor who does do it. A week later I went to see him and found out the blood work had to be done between 8 and 9 in the morning. So I'd spent another $25 and still had no answers. But he did agree that it was probably my hormones since it sounded like I was doing everything right. Always good to hear:) And I still had my blood.

But today was the day. I went in at 8:25 and had to talk to two of the rudest employees before having enough blood drawn for the clinic to start their very own Stefunk. And got an appointment for July 12th to come back and hear the results.

So my fast fix for weight loss keeps dragging on. Guess that's how it is with weight loss. There's no easy fix.

Ugh.

I Heart Craigslist

2011-06-22T12:03:00.006-05:00

Do you all Craigslist? I've bought and sold on there several times in the last several years. I won't bore you what I've bought and sold, but I'll share with you my most recent sale.

This sat at the moving sale for 2 days and only a few people asked about it. It was crying out to be taken home and put back to work.

But after I put it on Craigslist?? Two days later I had $20!

Anyone know what it is??

Moving Sale

2011-06-21T22:43:00.075-05:00

As I mentioned a few posts ago we had a moving sale at my Grandma's house. It has been bittersweet. It's the last house my Grandpa lived in. It's the house my Mom died in. It's the house I ate almost every Sunday brunch in when I was growing up. It's where we celebrated Christmas and Easter.

It's full of memories.

And that's the reason Grandma is leaving. For her the memories of grandpa are too strong. And as she's getting older and wasn't driving as much. And our local private college owns an assisted living place just a few blocks away.

My aunt Pat spent weeks at the house after Grandma moved out organizing what was left and getting ready for the sale. Then several other family members dumped their stuff off and messed up her wonderful organization. Sorry! But we stayed and helped for the two day sale so I think we're forgiven:)

I could tell you about the heat...or the lack of people...or the $52 worth of drinks the girls bought to resell to make pool paint money...or the amount of people that asked how much I'd sell the Eos for. One guy even asked me to put the top up and down for him. He was so cute. About 70 and wearing his overalls. I love old men:c)

But instead I'll just show you two pictures that I took that are so simple, but mean so much.

I don't know if I ever heard this album played, but the cover was so cute I had to take a picture. The memory it brought back was the stereo console that always sat in front of the window in the living room. I can remember playing records on it or coming in and hearing the radio on. Even after it wasn't used anymore, it was still a fixture in the living room.

And then there's this. I cried. I'm crying now. Grandpa wore hats all the time. He always wore the old guy 'snaps in the back to tighten' hats. But this one, this one is special. There's a local restaurant that had commercials with a guy named Earnest that always talked to 'Vern'. Earnest went on to make movies. But I'll always remember him from the commercials. I don't know where Grandpa got the hat, but it's so perfect for Vernon.

I put this photo on Facebook and a few people shared memories of my sweet Grandpa. So I basically cried....off and on all day.

So even though the house hasn't sold yet, Grandma has moved into her apartment and all the stuff is gone.

But my memories will be with me forever.

Staging Adventures

2011-06-20T22:33:00.003-05:00

While I was left alone for the week I had one day that I had to work. Is it really considered work when your boss is such a good friend? Well, in the Oklahoma heat it is. After all, a house we staged a year ago was finally selling. Apparently it was perfect in every way except for the one car garage. Until a single mom saw it. For her it was just right.

Since Shawn and the girls had taken the Expedition to camp I couldn't be of much help with a house full of furniture. So Lisa swapped her 4Runner for her husband's truck and we crossed our fingers.

The first load was filled to the brim.

We had the back seat full as well. And we still had more to do.

As if we weren't hot enough from loading it, we had to unload everything at the storage unit. The pretty full storage unit. That we had to organize as quickly as possible. Quick is good in productivity, but bad in heat.

After a trip to Goodwill we went back to the house to hope we could get everything else in a second load. I stayed downstairs while Lisa went up. I loaded what was there and went up to find her like this.

Really? Must I do all the work??

The Surface of the Sun

2011-06-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Last year when we were deciding what week Shawn and the girls should go to camp we decided on the first week in June because it should be the coolest. After all, in Oklahoma it only gets hotter the longer the summer goes. Also since most Texas schools aren't out yet, the camp numbers are lower. We did the same thing this year and I was pleased to hear the camp count was around 80. The next week they expected 200.

But on the weather...

we didn't have a chance.

Thanks the dear Lord we have a pool!

And lots and lots of sunscreen.

Well Hail

2011-06-16T21:48:00.004-05:00

Tuesday night we were all relaxing in the den when we heard something. Being Okies we raced to the windows. And saw a perfectly sunny sky...with hail falling out of it.

So of course, being Okies, we ran out into it to grab some to photograph and upload to Facebook and Twitter. We had to share it with our friends! And let me say, just a few blocks away from us there was completely looking hail. Or none at all. Oklahoma never fails to impress.

It's actually pretty, isn't it.

Unless you've recently bought a third car and now have one sitting outside taking the hits.

I felt so guilty and sorry for the Taurus. After the hail had stopped we went out to survey the damage and saw our neighbor doing the same. To our car. You know what? It wasn't as bad as we'd thought it would be. After all, we'd seen it bouncing off the car for at least 5 minutes. When we asked our neighbor where his car was he said he'd put it in the garage of the vacant house across the street. (It's okay. He has been maintaining the yard and we all know the family.) He also mentioned that there was more hail in the forecast. And then he asked if we wanted to put the Taurus in with his van. It's a two car garage...that had a storage room built into one side of it. So it was about a 1 3/4 car garage now. The Taurus went in fine...but there wasn't a lot of room for a 6'4" guy to open the door and get out.

No worries. That's where the sunroof comes in.

Never a dull moment around here!

Camp Meal

2011-06-15T21:39:00.001-05:00

Besides getting Shawn and my girlies home I also get these.

And I'm pretty sure all those calories I sweat out cleaning the pool house.

Sooooo worth it.

My Favorite Plant

2011-06-14T21:33:00.001-05:00

Hee hee hee:c)

They're Home!!

2011-06-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

And apparently worn slick out.

Work Day #3 & #4

2011-06-10T23:52:00.038-05:00

I saved the biggest project for last. Because I really didn't want to do it at all. But it was the most needed.

The cleaning of the pool house.

Moans were just heard around the world. From people who have had to walk into it.

I could make excuses...and maybe lie a bit...or just show you the befores and afters.

And let them speak for themselves.

It took me two straight days. A whole day was spent just getting all of Shawn's shoes out:c) And if I didn't lose at least 10 pounds from sweating, it wasn't worth it at all.

Work Day #2

2011-06-09T22:21:00.002-05:00

A few years ago I was in Texas helping Carrie organize her mom's house. I came across this frame in the dining room. I fell in love. I could see pictures in it hanging somewhere in my house. But, it wasn't up for grabs. But Carrie remembered how much I loved it when she was moving her mom into assisted living. It stayed in my patio for almost a year while I tried to decide what to do with it.

It was definately showing its age and with the different sized openings it was going to be hard to get pictures in it.

Still not sure what to do with it I decided it needed paint. It was pretty damaged and I thought that would be a good way to camoflauge that.

Of course it had to be sanded first. You know how I love my sanding blocks:)

After a light sanding I primed it and painted it black. I heart spray paint.

But then what? It finally hit me when I was in the pool house. Chicken wire. I'd kept some that was given to me for my garage sale a year ago hoping to find a project to use it in. So I chickened wired. For hours. Uncurl, staple down, cut, and twist the raw edges down with needlenose pliers. My arms were cut up and scratched but it was so worth it.

But with it being all black it lost something. The beautiful detail was gone.

So I used some silver Rub 'n Buff and had all the pretty detail back.

After spray painting some mini clothespins Green Apple it was ready to hang in my hallway.

What do you think??

I'm Going to Camp!

2011-06-08T23:23:00.001-05:00

Because I couldn't go a whole week without seeing my family Shawn and I chose today as the day I'd spend with them.

I was so excited to drive the Eos down there because the gas mileage was amazing!! I didn't feel guilty at all for making the drive.

I met Shawn at the road leading to camp and we went to find the girls. The Eos handled every road we took it on quite well. And some of them were pretty bad! We found Kennedy and Reagan at horsemanship training and sat on a wasp infested patio while they identified the parts of a horse. I started breathing heavy right away. My two inches shorter right arm and my cracked pelvis are still terrified of those death traps. Soon they were off to their next adventure and we went to find McKinley.

Here's where we found her.

On top of a death trap.

I almost passed out. As soon as the horses were tied up she came over to talk to me. First thing out of her mouth? "I'm the only girl in my cabin!" Now, I of course knew she was attending a Christian camp. After all, the YMCA is an amazing organization. But for a split second I thought, "WHAT???" She quickly explained that there were no other campers in her cabin. Just the counselors and the CIT's. (Counselors in Training) So basically it was all about McKinley. She's waited her whole life for that.

We went to lunch with the campers but decided we'd make a trip into town to find something a bit more appetizing. I just don't like camp food. We put the top down and drove into the happening town of Davis to try a BBQ place that came highly recommended. But after getting there and smelling the wonderful scents coming out of the smoker my mouth was watering. And then we discovered they were closed on Wednesday. Wednesday??? Oh come on. Of all the dumb days. Why not Monday? Extend your weekend. What good is the middle of the week?

So we looked up BBQ restaurants on my phone, picked one, and drove to the big town of Sulphur. Since I'm familiar with the town I didn't really pay attention to the navigation. After all, it was on the major highway and before the turn. How hard could it be? Yep, we missed it. We turned around and paid more attention. We ended up at a gas station. Nope, no BBQ. So we had chicken. After all, two strikes was enough for us. And we were hungry!

When we got back to camp it was AquaFest time! When we go to camp in September with the 5th graders from school I always wish I was there in summer to see the lake being used. There's a tower to jump off of and a two story slide. But we are in Oklahoma....and the lake level was low.

See that black line? They haven't seen it in years.

So AquaFest started by just playing on the docks.

Shawn and I settled down at the base of the slide stairs and watched the girls have fun. There was music blaring from the lodge so the dance moves were everywhere and highly entertaining.

About every 30 minutes a whistle would blow and it was 'Buddy Check' time. As a nervous mother I really liked that. Everyone got out of the water and had to hold hands with their buddy until everyone had been checked. Even though there were about 15 lifeguards that was still comforting.

At this point I was really wishing I was in the water. I ventured down by the water just once and quickly headed back to the only available shade. The base of the slide.

But Shawn had another idea. Why not go to the top of the slide? He found the guy with the key and soon we had a new view.

Just in time for Kennedy and Reagan to go off the tower. The top story was closed because of the low water but they still got quite a ride.

I so badly want to go back next year with my swimsuit and do this slide. Hopefully they'll have enough water and I won't scar my children for life.

Shawn had gone down to ask the girls to go off the tower for me and soon enough he couldn't handle watching anymore and had to do it. He lasted longer than I thought he would!

Love him!

Too soon I was leaving them behind and heading home. With a few sniffles...I'm not going to lie. But I had an entire list of projects to do. So off I went.

Stay tuned for more evidence of why my body ended up many different colors:c)

Work Day #1

2011-06-07T14:33:00.001-05:00

When we recently had a moving sale for my grandmother's things that didn't go to her new assisted living apartment I found something I've been looking for for quite a while. A big old bakers rack. Nothing fancy. Great for storage.

You see, I've had a dream.

A dream to organize the pool house a tad bit more. Anything would be better than what we have now...complete chaos.

The bakers rack was originally brass but it appeared to have been painted and then someone had started to strip it. Basically it was a mess. So I went spray paint shopping. A can of primer and two cans of Key Lime and I was ready to go.

I have an obsession, it's sanding blocks. Know what those are? If not, take a trip to Home Depot and buy some. You'll want to sand everything in site. That's how I am.

I wanted to sand some of the loose paint off. About 30 minutes in I was about to scream. There's a lot of connections. Several different sizes of rods. And just too much to do. Since it was going to be in the pool house loaded down with pool needs, it was time to move on.

I didn't look back, I just primed away.

Then it was time to see the lucious Key Lime. Except it looked nothing like the lid. Instead of a nice green it was like a neon green. But I was committed. And like I said, it was just going to be in the pool house.

So here it is. The color grew on me. And if you don't look too closely, you don't see the still peeling paint.

Right??

And everything that has never had a place to reside, now has a home.

Day #1. Done!

Sniff Sniff

2011-06-06T07:23:00.003-05:00

My family left yesterday...and I sat on the couch...and did nothing else.

Well, I did do a little something. I read blogs that I follow. I haven't done that in about 6 months.

I didn't come anywhere near catching up.

I did accomplish one tiny little thing, I worked more on my plan for what I wanted to accomplish this week. That counts, right?

So now I guess I better get up and actually start some of them.

Anyone have a crowbar??

Shawn's recliner and I are bonding...and it doesn't want me to go.

Camp :):

2011-06-03T10:33:00.001-05:00

My family leaves for camp Sunday...at 10 a.m....and I'm already sad.

I have plenty to keep me busy.

Here's a glimpse at my To-Do List.

*Scrape, prime, and paint the south side the house.
*Rake up two months worth of Magnolia leaves.
*Spray paint and Rub & Buff all the frames over the piano
*Make old frame into a bulletin board type thingie with chicken wire.
*Clean the house
*Clean out several flower beds
*Re-stain an area of the porch
*Visit them all day Wednesday:c)

*Have dinner with a good friend.
*Keep the dog alive.

*Try not to die of lonliness.

Wish me luck because the only thing I'm excited about is seeing them Wednesday.

Oh boy.

Eos Adventures

2011-06-02T11:46:00.002-05:00

I'm deeply in love with this car.

I might need to seek help.

I'm looking for excuses to go places.

Need me to run some errands for you?

Kidding. Sort of.

Since it's a hard top convertible the top goes into the trunk when it goes down. That means the trunk space is not exactly huge. But who cares?? It's an awesome convertible! But the trunk size became a problem when McKinley and I were doing the usual shopping at Sam's. As we were walking out the door with over a hundred dollars of purchases, it hit me. We were in the Eos. How in the world was everything going to fit. I started picking out things that would fit in the back seat when McKinley told me to stop worrying, she knew she could make it fit. I just stood back and watches while she symmetrically put it all in. I was quite impressed.

But when I went to Wal-Mart alone recently I again worried as I walked out to the car. I had the trunk and the whole car to fill but I knew the sound of the plastic sacks rustling in the wind would drive me over the edge on the way home. So I just started shoving. And shoving. And pushing. And hoping. And it fit.

So maybe my trunk is bigger than I think.

Since then though, we've found its limits. A poster board will not fit. It's about 3 inches too long. And...a watermelon.

But no worries. Reagan said she'd take care of it. And she didn't think it would be safe enough sitting in the empty seat next to her.

I'm so glad she took such good care of it because that thing was delish! Of course, with my grandpa's picking method, we very rarely get a bad one:c)

Shimmers After Hours

2011-06-01T10:11:00.030-05:00

We got a nice surprise last night. Our sweet friend Debbie and her girls Amanda and Emily came to visit! I had been noticing her Facebook status updates and knew she was in a different town than the one she lives in, but didn't know where. When I got a text asking if I wanted to go to Shimmers, I knew they had to be in our town! They were close enough to buy a few things to help with dinner, and far enough away that I had time to pick up our cluttered house! After a dinner of grilled pork quesadillas we sat down to talk but soon knew we had to head to Shimmers. It's a tradition.

Shawn had somewhere else to be, and McKinley and Kennedy were both gone for the night, so Reagan and I took Amanda and Emily in the Eos and Debbie followed in their car. I don't remember what time we got there...but we didn't leave until it had been closed for about 2 hours. After sitting at a table and eating we slowly walked to our cars...and talked for the next 2 and a half hours. And the three girls? They played.

In the car.

In the grass.

In the storm drain.

In the parking lot.

And when the sprinklers started, they played in the galoons and gallons of water that poured out of the broken sprinklers.
Um, gallons.

Right next to the little building that Shimmers is in there is a small grassy area with tables. There are probably 4 sprinklers there. 3 don't do anything, and 1 pours water over the curb and down the hill of the parking lot. It was a river of excitement for the 3 girls. They did pretty well in staying dry, mainly just got their feet wet. That was good since they had an hour and a half trip home. But then it happened...the fountain.

I really think they need to check the sprinkler system in this shopping area.

Know what happens when 3 girls who have been playing nicely in a river of water see a fountain? They instantly get wet.

Soaked.

To the bone.

And had an absolute blast doing it. How could we stop them?

Debbie had blankets in the car for her girls but I didn't know what to do. We don't keep anything in the Eos for these situations. But when I opened the trunk I saw Shawn's emergency scrubs. Since he's always on call he put those in their to ward off call-ins while we were out breaking in the new car. So Reagan got wrapped up in those. And looks pretty stinking cute!

And another interesting tidbit about Shimmers...I received an exciting comment on a post about Shimmers. You can read it here. Yep, I consider her a celebrity and love that she found my blog! Maybe she'll find this one and know to have the sprinklers checked!

This should help get the info passed on to the right people:c)

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T22:34:00.001-05:00

How'd you spend your Memorial Day?

Boating at the lake?

Pool side?

With family or friends?

I spent mine in bed until almost noon (which was glorious) and then working in the yard.

I know you're jealous.

We started the day with no plans besides yard work but a text from my cousin Amanda gave us a goal to work toward. They had driven into town for the day and wanted us to join them for dinner. I suggested Pop's and we set the time. They went to the zoo but we hit the back yard. That doesn't seem right.

After they ended their zoo time early we quickly showered and headed that way. Our group of 10 had grown to 16 before we knew it....and Pop's really isn't set up for large parties. It's a gas station after all. After waiting about an hour we were seated, at 3 separate tables. And there was one person who only had one cheek on the booth the entire time we were there. I don't need to name names.

But you know what? Everyone had an absolute blast. Kennedy, Reagan, and their 13 year old cousin Skylar ended up at a table together. They looked completely uncomfortable. Kennedy and Reagan pulled out their cell phones and started playing while they waited for their food. Skylar only spoke once during the in the restaurant time and it was to say he wished he'd had his phone, but he was grounded from it. As soon as they were done eating they asked if they could go outside to a big grassy field and play. We of course said yes and finished our meals and chatted before heading out. By the time we got out there they had seriously bonded. As in running around chasing each other. For about 30 minutes. Non-stop. Then the bubbles came out and even McKinley played with them. The adults spent a lot of time chatting, and me? I of course took pictures.

So my Memorial Day was alright. Good sleep, good food, fun location, yard work accomplished, and wonderful time spent with family.

Who needs a crowded lake?

Not this girl!

She's Gradeated!

2011-05-30T23:18:00.001-05:00

Friday we headed to Lubbock for Ashley's graduation. We wouldn't have missed it for the world. We also got to see the Funk's and catch up on some serious family bonding:c)

Saturday night we headed to one of my least favorite places. The Texas Tech campus. Only for Ashley. And Tyler two years before. I wondered how they got all three high schools through when I noticed this on the overhead screen.

They do all three on the same day! Wow. I don't think I've ever been to a 10 a.m. graduation. Luckily we were attending the 6 p.m. one.

Shawn had bought me a doubler for my telephoto lens earlier that day so that I could get some good shots of Ashley getting her diploma. I really wish I'd had a few days to play with it. That much weight and distance is an adjustment! I didn't want to keep changing lenses so I couldn't get the whole class in one...unless I took it from an image from the overhead screen.

My class of 72 looks incredibly small.

Tiny.

I can't even imagine a class this size. I think there were over 500.

Ashley had told us that the girls were 'supposed' to wear heels. It was interesting to see all the interpretations of heels. And it was interesting to see all the different heels! These kept catching my eye. Probably because they were sparkly:)

I have a friend named Tammy that grew up in the same small school that I did. She didn't finish there though. We lost contact and it wasn't until she popped up on myspace years ago that I found out she'd moved to Lubbock. Two years ago when we were there visiting the girls and I met her, her son Stormy, and her twin daughters at a park and caught up. Because of that I got an invitation to Stormy's graduation and party. Tammy had no idea that I was going to be in town. And I decided to surprise her! As we walked into her house I realized I didn't know a single person. So I had to explain who I was to everyone who was staring at me. Finally Tammy came around the corner and got a pretty big surprise! I loved it. I got to spend some time with her family, we swapped some stories, and left with a big smile on my face.

Later that night I posted this picture on her Facebook wall.

We both love how the school board member is....scratching his nose.

And then it was time. Our Ashley!

And then it was time. The turning of the tassel. Unless you're Ashley.

Yep. She pulled it right off. And spent a few seconds just staring at it.

Only Ashley.

And for the final picture I finally got the doubler, the telephoto lens, and the shaky arms to align. So...one good shot from the whole night.

And the pre-graduation shot.....

Isn't she beautiful?

Aren't I fat?

Don't answer that second one.

I beg of you.

The Big Texan!

2011-05-27T16:09:00.002-05:00

We headed to Lubbock this morning because our beautiful bonus daughter is graduating high school tomorrow night. As we were getting closer to Amarillo Shawn started talking about The Big Texan. He's wanted to go forever and this time it was going to happen.

The place is so cute. We bought some fudge and turtles from the candy store and stared at the 72 oz. steak and all the food that goes with it that's part of the challenge. You see, if you can eat a 72 oz. steak and all the things that go with it in an hour, it's free.

If you don't eat it, you pay $72. Luckily Shawn wasn't interested in doing that so we ordered off the menu and hoped someone would take the challenge while we were there.

We were in luck.

But before we knew that we took in the scenery.

We were sitting right next to the challenge table. See the 6 clocks? As soon as the insane person takes their first bite and says it's cooked as they wanted it, they timer starts. I had a picture of the steak on the grill and apparently went to be with the Lord, because I can't find it. But if you look closely you can see the grill master holding it up. She did that when people wanted a picture of it. She also yelled "72!!" at the top of her lungs. I have to say, it startled me every single time.

And then he sat down. He had to be about college age. And let me just say, he had muscles in places that I didn't know you could have them. His jaw was muscular. He had on a tank top with no arms...or sides, and we could see the muscles in his back. I wondered if his stomach had muscles.

By the time we'd paid he still had 20 minutes left....and it wasn't looking good. Poor guy. If we hadn't had family waiting we would have hung around.

We did take time to take a few pictures and sign the boot. It sure does help to always have a Sharpie in my purse. Even though my boss repeatedly steals them.

Sadly there was no time for cow pictures.

I'm so sorry Mr. Cow.

So we'd finally been to the Big Texan. And I'd discovered they have MSG in the seasoning...that they put on everything. At least the experience was worth the stop.
Oh, that and the turtle we bought at the candy counter. I don't eat fudge. Holy cow that thing was good! I'd drive back to Amarillo right now to get another one.

Unless someone wants to deliver...

Fun Things About Owning a Convertible

2011-05-26T15:51:00.031-05:00

In this first week of owning a convertible I've learned a few things.

1. It's not a good idea to blow bubbles while driving with the top down.
2. In Oklahoma, in May, when driving by Cotton Wood trees, you can get it stuck in your lip gloss.
3. Having some headbands and big hair clips in the glove compartment is a good idea.
4. Heated seats and floor vents make it possible to keep the top down even if the temperature drops.
5. When faced with an out of town trip, while head over heels in love with the EOS, Shawn will start researching pricing on U-Haul trailers.
6. After purchasing a car that seats only 4 of the 5 people in our family, we may or may not plan stuff around one of the girls being at a friends house for the night.
7. I did a little happy dance when I filled it up for the first time.
8. After dark I still need sunglasses because there's a lot of stuff flying in the air.
9.  Bugs can get into the car....anytime they want.
10. I can dry my hair after a shower in a quick trip.

So, we're still in love. And I don't ever see an end coming.

It's a blast.

The Last Day of School

2011-05-25T23:50:00.001-05:00

How in the world are we already at the last day of school? I promise you this year just started. I think next year will be easier though. This year with a new high schooler and a new middle schooler, it was rough. But my baby is still in elementary. But nest year she'll be upstairs.

Last year at the end of school I was talking to a friend who was teary when talking about her twins moving to the second story. I of course was nice about it but was a little giggly later because it's only upstairs. You know what? As I was waiting for Reagan to come out to the car is really hit me....my baby will be upstairs next year.

And I have to say, I got a little teary.

The Storm

2011-05-24T23:55:00.007-05:00

When we left the voice recital last night the sky was purple.

The Middle School awards assembly had been cancelled because of possible bad weather. I was thrilled because it meant I didn't have to grab Kennedy and run back and forth the few blocks between the church and school. As we were getting in the car it sprinkled a bit. The sky, the cancelled assembly, and the 10 drops of rain freaked McKinley out. So as soon as we got home we turned on the weather. Nothing was near us so she went to bed relieved. But after she was gone the weather man said that tomorrow was going to be 100x worse.

Yikes.

In two blocks we are the only house that doesn't have a basement. I wish I knew why. But that just means we have our pick of which neighbor we want to bless with our presence. Since we have a key to my old house across the street, we have always gone there. But if I had to pick a place in our house that would be the safest, I'd pick under the stairs. Which is my pantry. Starting early this morning I did what I always do when bad weather is coming....stuff the pantry. I take all the pictures off the walls that aren't scanned and saved. That would be just about every single one. I have a lot of old family pictures. Next goes our wedding album, and my parents. And since I had someplace to go during the day, my laptop and my camera. McKinley saw me doing this and got freaked out again. That my friends is bad parenting. She was headed to take a final. I quickly assured her that every time I did that nothing ever happened. She seemed to be okay with that.

I spent the next several hours getting my gray hair covered and my Hooker Highlights fixed. With my box of Kleenex. Want proof?

Oh, and a Sonic drink.

I should have warned you it wasn't pretty.

My friend that does my hair was really concerned about the weather. She'd told her husband his job for the day was to find a place for them to go that was underground. I was thinking of more things to put in the pantry.

When the girls and I got home from school we turned on the news and just sat and watched. Soon enough a tornado was on the ground in a neighboring town. We were still fine. But when it got to a much closer neighboring town I started planning our move across the street. When Shawn called and asked if we'd left I got really concerned. I am always begging him to leave with us and he's always saying we're fine. The year that our town was actually hit and we lost our garage door I carried all three girls across the street in the rain and then called and threatened to divorce him if he didn't join us. So as soon as I hung up we headed over. After about 30 minutes of sitting in their great room I had the girls take our stuff to the basement. And they asked if they could stay down there. I was glued to the tv and was tracking Shawn to see if he was coming home or staying at work. I was so relieved when I tracked him on our street and ran to the door and found him there.

The weather people were showing the tornadoes on the ground and from the sky. The debris clouds were showing up on radar. It was bad. About 10 miles from us there was total destruction. One of our 2nd grade teachers lost everything. Including her horses. I heard on Twitter that horses in that area were being found with metal pieces sticking through their bodies. A Twitter friends husband was asked to shoot 3 horses of a friend who all had something stuck in them. We never had to get in the basement, and for that I am so grateful.

A TNT friend's in-laws also lost everything. She took over 100 pictures and shared them on her profile page. Take a look. It's amazing. If this link doesn't work please tell me. I want you all to see that even though these people lost everything, they are so blessed to be alive. Two miles away a mom, her 5 year old daughter, 3 year old son, and 15 month old son took refuge in a bathtub with a mattress over them. The mom, 5 year old, and 15 month old were taken to the hospital for serious injuries. The 3 year old son is missing.

Although I'm so happy we're okay my heart is breaking for those affected.

Join me in praying for them.

How My Blog Got It's Name

2011-05-23T13:33:00.009-05:00

I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. And this morning? Even worse. But my crazy day doesn't care. I did send the girls to school and then crawl back in bed for 2 hours. I do believe that's the only way I got through the day.

My schedule?

11:30-Take caramel sauce (that I forgot to buy this weekend) to Reagan's Sundae Party.
3:15-6-Reagan's Accelerated Reading party at a downtown bowling alley.
5:30-Get the girls ready for their voice recital.
6-Head to the church for warm-ups.
6:30-Kennedy's Middle School awards assembly at the school.
7-Voice recital starts at church.

And did I mention I didn't feel good? I was trying to figure out how to go on Reagan's field trip and get her sister's home from school, fed, ready for voice recital, and get them to church. I can almost guarantee that Shawn will have to work late if I am about to lose my mind. And then my phone rang. It was my sweet mother-in-law saying they were coming to the recital. And when I told her how insane the day was getting, she said they'd come at 3 and take care of McKinley and Kennedy for me. I. Am. So. Blessed to have them.

So I got to go bowling with no worries. My spinning mind finally relaxed. I packed up my camera, an entire box of Kleenex, and headed out.

We went to a really swanky bowling alley that is in Bricktown. After 10 pm it becomes a 21 and older place. I know that because I tried to go in and see some friends at exactly 9:59 with McKinley in tow two years ago. So I'd never actually been in. I have to say, once I got in, I was impressed.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the party.

And here they are. The highest A.R. achievers and their fabulous teacher:c)

And even though we left downtown right in the middle of rush hour, we made it home in time to get Reagan dressed, fed, and to the recital on time. And all three of my girls did a fabulous job with their solos.

So here I sit on the couch with my box of Kleenex looking at tomorrow's schedule.

Oh boy.

Send help.

Gold Medal Winner

2011-05-20T13:08:00.002-05:00

I headed to Reagan's last Round Up this morning because she was going to be getting a math award. During the school year the students are given tests called Math Tracks. After you pass the preliminary tests in your class, you get to go to the Principal's Test. If you pass that, you move up to the next harder one. At the end of the school year students get medals based on how many they've passed. Bronze, Silver, or Gold. In first grade Reagan was one of two who got a gold. A Math Whiz t-shirt was thrown in and it's still one of her favorite things. In second grade her teacher saw that she was doing so well and moved her up a level. Reagan panicked and was so worried she didn't end up passing it. She was crushed when she got a silver medal. But this year she was back on top!

I'm sure she gets her math skills from me:c)

You're Welcome

2011-05-19T23:05:00.001-05:00

So we buy a convertible and the very next day it rains.

And rains.

And rains.

It appears the drought is over.

You're welcome Oklahoma.

So sorry we didn't do it sooner.

Our EOS!

2011-05-18T23:58:00.001-05:00

Well, either hell froze over, or we just really want this car. Shawn finally answered a call from Joe. He said they'd sell us the car for the monthly payment we want....with the warranty still left on it...and with another one I think they were throwing in. I was just hearing the 'We Get The Car' part!

Since we hadn't been pleased with the finance guy Joe told us the owner of the dealership was coming in to handle our paperwork. Um, okay. We were supposed to be there by 4. Shawn took off work early and I met him there. And I was a tad bit giddy. For some reason we went to Joe's office first. And chatted. And chatted. And chatted. Well, Shawn did. I just sat there and looked annoyed. And caught up on Word Feud and Words with Friends. He did have us sign one thing, but then we just sat. When he handed me a pen to sign the one thing I commented on how cute the pen was. It had a little VW car in it that slid back and forth. I had to have one. When he saw which pen I had he told me I couldn't have that and quickly took it out of my hand. Um...okay. He then said that we would love this car if we didn't mind that people thought it was a 'Homo' car. Really? Are you trying to sell us this car?? What is up with these people trying to ruin this for us? Apparently they didn't really want our business.

At 4:35 I asked Shawn what exactly we were doing. He turned and asked Joe. We were told the owner was at the dentist and should be there at some point. Excuse me, I had things to do. Shawn read my body language and told Joe he had our address, if he wanted us to buy it, he'd bring it to the house. And again, we walked out.

Close to 6 Shawn's cell phone rang and it was Joe saying that the owner was there but couldn't leave. So since we wanted the car so badly, and wanted Joe out of our life, we headed back. The owner was very nice and made the process incredibly quick. After we signed the final paper he told us we could keep the pens we were using. I told him that was good to hear since I hadn't even been able to hold the earlier one. After he'd heard the story he promised me I'd get the sliding car pen. So I got the cute car, and I had a pen coming.

Bonus!

You know what? It was all worth it.

So we were finally done with Joe. And we are now the proud owners of an EOS.

And I did something I've never done before...I drove a new car off the lot.

I'm not going to lie, I was terrified.

So we now are a 3 car family. Us. The owners of the 2 car garage.

The Taurus was nice enough to offer to stay out in our other driveway.

And the EOS is already proving to be a savings in gas. Which is good since we just drove it around 2 lakes, up and down the highway just for fun, oh, and all around town.

And McKinley? Who will be sharing this car when she turns 16? She still wants a Mustang. Ungrateful girl! So I'll give her the Expedition and I'll drive the EOS. Seems fair:c)

And the Search Continues....

2011-05-17T22:05:00.004-05:00

The phone calls from the slimy Joe started last night. After 10! Shawn didn't answer. I started getting calls today since Shawn has my cell number on his voicemail. But slime ball that he is, he always asked if this was Shawn. So I'd say no and hang up.

Since we are absolutely set on an EOS, Shawn and I met for lunch today and starting searching E-Bay....since Craigslist seems to never have heard of them. We found 4 possible contenders. They were in California, Long Island, Florida, and Wisconsin. That's what stinks about E-Bay. After the searching we decided the Florida was the best deal for the least amount of money. But it was in Florida. So we decided on the original one in Texas!

But an orchestra concert that night, gymnastics, and tons of gas burning meant we couldn't do much about it. After the concert I mentioned to a friend that we'd found the perfect car in Florida....and didn't know how to get it here. She said that her family and her in-laws were going to Disney World soon and she'd gladly drive it back. I assumed she was kidding but she said she'd be happy to. Or since her father-in-law had always toyed with the idea of doing that in his retirement, he would. It seemed like it was all coming together!

Now, I just have to tell Shawn everything and see if he thought it would all work. And hope he doesn't change his mind again!

And the phone calls from Joe keep coming....

The Search for a New Car

2011-05-16T23:08:00.001-05:00

About 2 months ago I finally convinced Shawn we needed a third car. I LOVE my Expedition but feel so guilty when I'm driving in my square mile of comfort and getting 8-12 miles per gallon. Mondays are the worst because I pick up Kennedy and Reagan from school and take them to voice. Then I go back to get McKinley and take her. (Snow days added extra time to our day and for some reason high school had 17 extra instead of 5. I never figured out why.) Tuesdays during the musical were bad too because of Reagan's gymnastics. I was just burning through gas. Up to $300 a month. Sometimes more. And with a soon to be 16 year old it only made since to start looking.

When we were discussing what kind of car to get I wanted a convertible. If we were going to get a third car, I felt like it should be fun. I settled on a VW Beetle. I wanted an old one and quickly found a '73 in a nearby town. I thought it was meant to be since I am also a '73. But Shawn didn't want an old car. The Corvair of my dreams was crushed. So I started the search for a new VW Beetle. Craigslist was full of them. I spent an hour and found about 20 to choose from in 3 states. Shawn was pretty fired up about a few and I was giddy with the thought of getting a car. We were trying to decide which one to go see when Shawn (always the voice of reason) suggested we go to our local VW dealership and actually drive one. I married a smart man I tell you. As we were approaching the dealership I was getting more and more excited. He though was thinking it all through. With taxes to pay and property taxes also, he just didn't think it was a good time. So we pulled in to the lot...and right back out. My day of a natural high was crushed.

About a month later he brought it up again. I tried not to get excited. But I got on Craigslist just to look. All the fun Bugs from the month before? They were gone. I guess when the weather starts getting warmer people start buying. Sigh. I still managed to track a few down. He was using our bank website to find them. In searching for a Bug he came across a couple of EOS's. He knew a co-worker that had one and sent her a Facebook message to ask a few questions. With her glowing report and locating one in the Dallas area we started getting excited about getting a convertible. We found the same one at the dealership right down the road and tonight we went to look at it. We met the corny salesman also. Ugh.

About 10 seconds after getting into it, I was in total love. When Shawn put the top down, I wanted it. Badly. I didn't even want to get out of the driver's seat when we got back to the dealership. We walked into the Joe's office and said we wanted it. But for the monthly payment our bank had approved us for. Oh, and also for the price of the one in Texas. $3,000 less. After some number crunching Joe told us he could get us a better interest rate with VW financing. We told him we were open to that but we wouldn't go above our set monthly payment. I left Shawn there to do all the paperwork so I could fix dinner. He said he'd call me when it was time to sign everything. Almost 2 hours later I headed up there to get our car! I met Shawn in the finance office and started signing. As I was the finance guy was telling me about the service package they'd decided on. The platinum one. That made me think...how much was our monthly payment? I had to be picked up off the floor when he told me. In defense, the finance guy told us, VW parts cost 3 times as much as others so we needed that plan. Um...was he trying to make a sale? I turned to Shawn, who was also surprised, and told him I wasn't comfortable with that. So we walked. Joe was not pleased.

We came home defeated to 3 girls who were told to expect a surprise. After explaining everything they were upset. I understood, so was I.

So here I sit, sad again but still searching. Next up? E-Bay!

Banquet Hangover

2011-05-13T22:14:00.010-05:00

Since I usually am manning an auction table and then helping organize the bid sheets after the auction closes, I don't sit in my seat. Which means I don't eat my dinner. But this year I was the photographer so I got to spend some time in my seat. Never more than 5 minutes, but enough time to eat a bit. With my food allergies I knew not to eat a lot, but thought a few bites would be okay. The salad dressing was at the bottom of the salad and I knew it wasn't Ranch so I had a few bites. It was so garlicky that we were all laughing that even though our breath stunk, at least we all had the same smell. Shawn had to leave to take the girls to piano and he said without even opening his mouth, they could smell it when they got in the car! When the chicken, potatoes, and green beans came I scrapped the gravy off the chicken (if it had broth or bouillon cubes I would have been in trouble) and ate a few bites of each. I knew the green beans would fine, and assumed the potatoes would too.

Guess I was wrong.

In about 10 minutes I had a headache. Not a migraine, because I didn't go blind, but a headache. I don't know that I've ever reacted that fast. I downed a glass of water, 4 Advil, and my lemon dessert. What? It couldn't hurt. I had to finish helping that evening but as soon as I could I let Shawn take me home.

And now, almost 24 hours later?? Yep, still in pain. I wonder what in the world was in that food!

And I wonder if this garlic breath secreeting itself from every pore of mine and Shawn's body, will ever be tamed.

I'll keep you updated.

I know you're all on the edge of your seats.

The Making of An Auction

2011-05-12T23:54:00.000-05:00

I've talked a couple of times on here about the Foundation board I'm on. Since our school system is landlocked and the district is tiny we are a very poor school. In our district there's a private university and a large church so the property taxes that come in are slim. Add to that fact that we are 66% transfer and the money that a neighboring school system gets for a student stays there after the student transfers to our school. Basically when it comes to money, it's pretty slim pickens! So the Foundation was formed to help raise money. We're a working Foundation....meaning, don't get on it if you can't help. A neighboring school system has a foundation you have to pay to be on and the work involved is going to meetings. We're real. We're special:C)

One of our yearly fundraisers is a banquet. It's where we honor teachers of the year, employees who have been with the district for milestone years, honor the honor students, and give out two surprise scholarships. There's always a speaker and I've heard politicians, local news personalities, and even our very own small town boy who made good and plays for an NFL team.

An auction was added the year I joined the Foundation to help make this evening also profitable. Profits are always good. The first year was rough...it was a learning year. The second year we'd added an amazing auction diva to the board and she has taken us over the top.

The secret? Set up.

Starting in March we meet in a little tiny room with an 8 foot table, no room for two of the three of us to sit, and have a blast the whole time. We pick a theme for the table based on what items have been donated or purchased, set it all up with lifts, fabric, fill out the bid sheet with a starting bid and raise increments, take a picture of it, and pack it all up into a box with the table number on it.

Well, Pam and Janna do that. I sit in a chair and create the auction program. I come up with a cute and catchy title for each item, describe it, and add who donated it. There's no way I could do their job, and they promise me there's no way they could do mine. Having the internet at my fingers helps when we have a donation nobody know anything about. Inside jokes happen every year, and I look forward to our weekly get together.

So today was the day that everything came together. We had everything taken to the nearby college's gym and we started the set up. 18 tables had to be done before our children got out of school for the day. With our boxes, pictures, and drive we got down to business.

We start with the picture.

Then unpack the box.

And set it all up.

Sorry I picked one of the simplest tables!

But that night with the lights turned low, it looks really nice.

And just for fun...since this year people camped out for 7 days for a chance to get their name on a list to hopefully get their child in...the theme of the banquet was worked around that. These are the high school students that volunteered to spend the evening 'camping out'. We ordered them pizza and they entertained the guests coming in.

So at the end of the evening we'd honored and congratulated everyone and made money to give back to the teachers and students next year. All in all a fabulous evening spent helping the school I love. What could be better??

Padre

2011-05-11T14:13:00.001-05:00

My baby, and yes they're all my babies, left me for Mother's Day weekend. She went on her high school choir trip to South Padre/Corpus Christi. Since it was over $400 for her to go, I could not join. Even though parents were a bit less. I cried all the way home after leaving her at the school to get on the bus. She occasionally sent texts, but I had to follow along on Facebook for the details from the parents and other students. Let's just say that when we picked her up late Mother's Day night I might have squeezed her a bit hard. The fact that she had the worst sunburn of hopefully her whole life, made her not enjoy that hug. Oh well, maybe a lesson has been learned.

When we got home she unpacked everything in the living room to find my gift. I was so excited to have her home and to be getting a present that I overlooked the Pringles explosion. But I did invite Jackie 'O' over to Hoover up the mess as soon as possible.

Soon after she begged to go to bed and I of course said yes.

But two days later the novelty had worn off. It was time to clean this up!

And even though the 3 tubes of Pringles had been put in the pantry two days before there was another explosion. So big the dog couldn't handle it all.

I was afraid to look.

Speedy

2011-05-10T22:50:00.003-05:00

Reagan is definitely my sporty child. Musical, yes, but more sporty than her sisters. She plays soccer every year for our church and started gymnastics recently to very happy results.

So when she asked to go for a run with me recently I of course said yes.

Karreen and I are back to running after a much needed break and healing time....but we're not back to where we were. We certainly can't go out and run 13.1 miles again! The day Reagan joined us we were running 27 minutes straight. I knew my little 9 year old would be able to do that easily. I really thought the struggle would be getting her up at 5:20 in the morning! I was surprised to see her waiting for me, ready to go. We walk to the halfway point, stretch, walk 5 minutes to warm up, and then run. Reagan was so antsy to run during all of the warming up stuff. She was thrilled when we finally started running.

We run around our local college and our church which is 4 sets of 4 block lengths. We do that twice. By the 3rd set Reagan was slowing down. When we started our second time around she would walk for a bit, run ahead of us, and walk until we caught up. She was thrilled when we finished and did our 5 minute cool down walk. By the time we were headed home she was saying that she'd never do that again.

I have to admit...I was thrilled. After all, I'm a...(like I'm going to tell you my age!)...mom of three, slow runner, and certainly not in and kind of good shape...but my 9 year old couldn't keep up! I was on a natural high for the whole day.

But after my breaking and entering I headed to her track meet. Dirty jeans and all. After I got this picture I figured something out.

That girl right there?? She's a sprinter. She tied for 1st in the 50m, came in a very close 2nd in the 100m, and helped her class relay team take 1st by almost a minute over the other teams.

So that runners high I was on for outdoing my 9 year old?? Yep, that's gone. Completely gone. Never to return I'm sure.

But I'm also incredibly proud.

That's my girl!!

Breaking and Entering

2011-05-09T22:02:00.008-05:00

My boss and I had a house to stage today that was going to be incredibly easy. In and out in nothing flat. We only had to go buy a couch, run by our storage unit to pick up a few things, and go to the house and put it all in. It was a light staging so we figured it would take about an hour.

Usually when we think that, something is bound to go wrong.

Or in this case, several things.

Our business owns a couch but it's currently in a house that is almost sold. Since the appraisal hasn't been done it was decided to leave it there. No problem, we were just going to run to the store and get another one. It was only $125 so it would be a good investment. But of course, they didn't carry that couch anymore. So we bought a $250 one. Sigh. It was loaded into the truck and we set out for the storage unit.

The storage unit we use is owned by an apartment complex. The apartment manager manages both. We pulled up to the gate and punched in the number to make the gate open....but nothing happened. Lisa tried again. Nothing. That's happened before. No problem. She whipped out her phone and called the maintenance guy who has helped us before. And that's about the time that we learned the maintenance guy now lives in Alabama. No problem again. We pulled around and headed to the manager's office. The door was proudly displaying the OPEN sign. The locked door that is. Lisa called the managers number and left a voicemail. And then we waited. And then she called again. And again. After about 20 minutes I had an epiphany. If she backed the truck up I was pretty sure I could climb from the bed of the truck, over the fence, and onto the gate mechanism box. And guess what? I could.

I made it over, she handed me the keys and the list of things we needed...and left me. I kind of thought she'd be joining me. Instead she went back to the office and waited outside. It was then that I realized my cell phone was still in the truck. So I just got busy pulling items. After about 10 minutes she was over the fence and had joined me. I knew she wanted to. She was a bit frustrated though. Can't say that I blame her. We had a realtor waiting at the house for us and we just kept hitting problems. When this happened we just had to laugh.

I mean, what else could happen at this point?

After we had everything out we decided to hand everything over the fence, load it into the truck, and head on our merry way. As Lisa was perched on top of the fence who do you think would be walking up?? Yep, the manager. Let's just say she was not amused. I believe she said she hates it when people climb her fence. Well you know what? We hate when our rent is paid and we can't get in and you won't answer your phone.

I continued pushing stuff through the fence as Lisa talked to her. Rent has to be paid within the first five days of the month, which it had, but she'd chosen not to post payments yet. Um, hello. You're asking for people to break in! She said she'd go post the check so that I could get out. I just waited for her to start walking back to the office and climbed back over.

As we drove by the office on our way out I couldn't help but feel victorious. Don't mess with us! And then my eyes caught something...the black all over the front of my jeans from the fence. Oh well, they're just part of the memory!

The Great Purse Flood of 2011

2011-05-06T13:29:00.004-05:00

I am not a fan of bottled water so we don't often buy it. Want to know why?? There's an excellent reason. When I was pregnant with McKinley we were driving home from a trip and we stopped at a gas station to fill up and get drinks. I was trying to avoid caffeine (I don't know what I was thinking) so I got a bottled water. Somehow milk must have been spilled near the lid because it smelled sour. An incredibly thirsty pregnant woman who had almost passed out smelling an over ripe cantaloupe just a few days earlier and sour water?? Those things just don't mix. Either does that sentence, but we're moving on.

That just ruined it for me. That and I've lived in the same town most of my life and I like the water here. It's very distinctively flavored. Although as I've gotten older I do like it filtered a bit.

So on to the actual story that goes with this post.

You were waiting for that, weren't you?

We do often end up with water bottles though from various places. Because I'm also cheap, we reuse them. Recycled water bottles filled with my favorite water; best of both worlds!

I had some volunteer work to do recently and on the way out the door I grabbed a snack and a water bottle and dropped them both in my purse. Seven blocks later I reached into my purse to grab something and found that the entire bottle had emptied. Now, you should know, my purse isn't like everyone else's. I carry my camera, three lenses, an external flash, and my extra camera battery and charger.

I instantly starting pulling things out and using my shirt to dry them off. The only thing I could find in the house I was in that could be used was toilet paper. My shirt seemed like the better choice. The camera just had a few drops on it. The lenses are all wrapped in something so they were fine. Thank goodness so were the flash and battery. Even my wallet survived. So what saved all my precious items in my purse? That would be the three purse sized packages of Kleenex. What? I'm an allergy sufferer.

So I, and my camera and accesories, survived The Great Purse Flood of 2011. And yes I've learned my lesson. I have gone back to carrying my camera in an actual camera bag. And I don't carry my recycled water bottles in my purse anymore. Okay, often.

Lesson learned. Sort of.

The King

2011-05-05T13:57:00.003-05:00

The King of our house is of course Shawn.

I love him for many reasons but a big one is because he's always eaten whatever I cooked. What...e...ver. I haven't always been very good at this cooking thing. He survived the first four months of our marriage with me, a hotel room, a hot plate, a slow cooker, and one cookbook that had a can of Campbell's soup in everything. I have gotten to be a much better cook, but even a good one occasionally has a flop. He's even eaten the flops. Sometimes he doctors them up a bit, but he eats them. He's also the king of leftovers. He's not embarrassed to take them to work. He's even been known to share! At home it doesn't matter what it is, he will dump it together and eat it. I love that. In 16 years of marriage he has only disliked one thing. A chicken, mozzarella, tomato sauce concoction. I don't know how I messed it up, but I did. That recipe was thrown away.

But he reminded me of Elvis a little this morning with his choice of breakfast. I don't lay claim to this recipe.

A jalapeno cheddar bagel, butter, peanut butter, red pepper jelly, and a banana. I was a little afraid to kiss him goodbye. He called later to say his creation was delicious. Hmmm...makes me wonder if my cooking is really all that good if this was considered delicious...:c)

You've Been Goosed

2011-05-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

I see a lot of fun things when we're shopping to stage a house. I get a lot of personal shopping done as well:c) I have had two new purses since I started my job, a new pair of sunglasses, new dining room curtains, the accompanying rod, and several pairs of shoes.

Every time I come home with something Shawn will say, "I knew this job was going to cost me." The fact that these items were purchased at a great discount doesn't always impress him.

So he was happy when on a recent day at work all I came home with was this picture.

How did I ever live my life without a cell phone camera?

Get A Clue

2011-05-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

When we have family game night we usually stick with Farkle or a shortened version of Phase 10. Every once in a while we play Life. But really, when you're investing time in playing your Life, it needs a lot of time. My two least favorites are Monopoly and Clue. I would rather watch sumo wrestling than play Monopoly. It makes me incredibly grumpy. But it's one of Shawn's favorites, so I bite my tongue and enjoy the time with my family. Now as for Clue...I just don't get it. I'm pretty sure it's a fairly easy game to understand, but I just don't get it. Shawn again explained it to me and I gave it a try. I of course didn't win but probably won an award for asking which character I was too many times. But the high point of the evening came when we saw this.

We're not sure when they wrote all of these things, but they were a wonderful walk down memory lane!

I am happy to report that Mommy & Daddy are still together. Gogo & Grampa are still together. Reagan still loved Evan. But the other two....they were so offended when they read what they'd written!

My trio!

2011-05-02T23:55:00.002-05:00

Our church partnered with Swaziland several years ago and started fund raising and sending mission teams. A new fund raiser was started this year, an auction and dinner. It was $75 a plate and since I'm cheap, and we're busy, we didn't plan on going. But then we got a call.

A few years ago on a mission trip our music minister went with a mission of his own. He had songs that he taught to the locals. He then recorded them. A few months later at church our choir, who had learned the same songs, sang with the Swazi recording. It was amazing.

For the dinner and auction they wanted to do a few of those songs. Instead of getting a children's choir together and teaching them one of the songs, they called and asked if my girls would do it. I of course said yes, for them, and took them to the first practice. There wasn't music written for the three part harmony yet so our director just gave them the chord and off they went. I know they're mine, but they are pretty stinking talented. The director said they did beautifully but he'd still get the music written and send it to us.

After I'd printed the music out I called the girls around the piano, figured out the sharps and flats, and started playing for them. They kept getting ahead of me though! They seemed to get annoyed with my long pauses and picking out notes with the Every-Good-Boy-Does-Fine method. So I just hit the notes that I could. And they carried on just fine.

When we got there that night for their sound check I thought I'd go ahead and video it since I knew I'd be nervous. Oh, and them, too! I took some pictures during the first practice and whipped out the video camera I don't know how to use for the second run through. I was feeling pretty good about my video skills when a friend and her daughter walked in front of me. They noticed about halfway through and kind of ducked down. But then the husband and dad came through and didn't feel the need to duck. He sort of apologized later when I brought it up. So I recorded the real performance when they sang. From really far back in the back at the 'free dinner' table:) And I was shaking a bit out of sheer nervousness of my girls singing in front of over 400 people. And I might have been tearing up a bit. Maybe.

So here's the first video. Even with the heads, it's still the best of the two. And no matter what, I am one proud mom. And that's the most important thing:c)

When Technology Dies

2011-04-29T11:33:00.068-05:00

During one of my days of selling Seussical tickets I had been busy at work before racing to the school. Since I'd been in my bosses car I didn't have my phone charger. But I did have a spare battery. I knew I'd be fine.

When I got to the school I had about 5 minutes to grab the tickets, the money bag, and take my place. But when I got to the front door of the school I noticed people were standing outside of it. In line! For tickets! Wow. I started making my way in saying excuse me as I went. But I wasn't getting anywhere. People kept telling me that was the end of the line. So I started saying, "Thank you, I know, but excuse me." I didn't think I needed to explain myself. And really, I didn't have the time! It was still a high school, after all, people could have been coming in to just go to the office. But still, I wasn't getting anywhere. Finally I politely tried to get past someone I didn't know. She turned around and said, "You can't come up here. Go to the end of the line. We're all here to buy tickets." To which I, in frustration and claustorphobia, said, "I'm the one selling the tickets!!"

Why didn't I start with that? The line parted like the Red Sea. Don't mess with me when I'm starting to breath heavily in a closing-in crowd of people.

Okay, not really. But it worked. I should have conducted myself better, but I was overwhelmed.

And when they realized who I was, they were all suddenly very nice.

I sold tickets for the next two hours and 10 minutes. Straight. When the first lady bought 40 I thought I wouldn't survive, but slowly and steadily my line dwindled. When it was finally just me and the tickets I pulled out my cell phone to relax, and of course, catch up.

I'd gotten several phone calls and texts during those two hours (many from the director... good thing I love her:) so I'd stealthily changed my battery while still selling. I know, I have skills. But since the high school is cinder block walls and I was right in the middle of it, the battery had just drained. I spent about 10 minutes entertaining myself before it was dead. And then.....I was alone. With nothing to do. Nothing. I don't know how in the world I passed time before cell phones with apps. I don't remember being insanely bored. So I did what I could to pass the time.

I...

Counted all the seats on the auditorium map so I could...
Count all the empty seats for each night and made tally marks on the back of each paper.
Smoothed out all the money and made sure it was in numerical order, and all facing the right way.
Alphabetized all the checks by amount, and then because I was still bored, by last name.
Greeted everyone that walked by.
Re-highlighted all the seats I'd already sold to make sure the map looked correct.
Went through every rows envelope of remaining tickets and cross referenced with the map to make sure my system was working.
Patted myself on the back when I realized my system was in fact working flawlessly.
And I think I might have actually twiddled my thumbs.

When McKinley came in from a trip I grabbed her, held her down, and insisted she take her battery out of her phone and give it to me since it was more important that people could reach me. And because I was about to start counting ceiling tiles.

So I survived. McKinley might be scarred for life, but I survived.

And the next day when Shawn was with me for the four hours, he kept me supplied with batteries. Love that man! He was also entertaining in his own rite. I knew I married well!!

Yep!

2011-04-28T11:52:00.004-05:00

Hope you guessed it! Seussical the Musical!!!

I had never seen this one. Which is weird because I am a huge musical fan. I was feeling kind of disappointed in myself until I realized this has only been on Broadway and touring. It hasn't been made into a movie or shown on tv. My girls went online and found some clips of it to prepare for auditions, but I never did. I wanted to be surprised:)

Neither of my girls got the parts they wanted....and we all had to come to terms with that. They of course ended up happy to be in it and with their friends, so we all moved on.

So I had 2 Whos, 1 Circus Folk, 1 Fish, and 1 Hunch. That's between the 2 of them. Practices started in January and I didn't go to a practice until last night. I'm so glad I waited! I was completely drawn in from the moment it started and kept forgetting to take pictures....which is why I was there.

But I did catch some good shots.

There are my two Whos. Kennedy has the highest hair and McKinley is on the far left end.

There's my Fish. Well, she's one of them. I promise. The black light has made a wonderful addition to our musicals!

There's my hula hooping Circus Folk on the right.

And there's our elementary principal. Four performances. That's a lot of green.

And finally, my Hunch. She's the one with the lines under the eyes.

And our high school principal! He was my Algebra 1 & 2 teacher and I heart him. He's retiring in December. Or at least he thinks he is, I'm not going to let him.

And not to be outdone, our Superentendant and middle school pricipal. I love that our school system is so small that they are able to do this. And I love that our director always makes a place for them. And I love that they're just nice guys.

And not to ruin the ending for you all who plan on seeing it...but here's the Elephant Bird. It was so cute! I need to find where they got it and get some for the girls. What a fun memory that would be.

So the musical was a huge success and my girls had a wonderful time. And we've already found out what next years will be....Annie Get Your Gun!! Not only one of my absolute favorites, but one that I was in when I went to the same school. I. Am. Thrilled!

Need Another Tip?

2011-04-27T11:50:00.001-05:00

It's That Hair Raising Time of Year!

2011-04-26T10:41:00.000-05:00

Know what musical we're doing this year????

My Birthday

2011-04-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Since I started blogging I've had four birthdays. Two have been great, two have stunk.

This years? It completely rocked.

To make up for last years Shawn promised me a fabulous one. I don't need fabulous, but fun over stinky is always better.

He'd taken Friday off to start the festivities. He had things planned, but first I had to sell tickets for this years musical. But before we got there he'd taken me to get a pedicure. My favorite new color was no where to be found. And with an obvious language barrier, it wasn't going to be found. So I settled on another purple, that ended up being pink! Dadgum it, I'd done it again. But since Easter was two days away, I went with it. 2 minutes after my nails were done they brought the perfect color to me. They'd found it. If I wasn't in a rush to get to ticket sales, I would have insisted they re-do them.

As soon as we were done selling tickets we went out to dinner, followed by shopping, a movie, and an overnight stay in a hotel. We've never done that before. I'm a huge fan of my own bed, and not a huge fan of hotels. But this time I didn't mind. Mom and Dad were in charge at home and I didn't have a care in the world. After breakfast at Starbucks we headed home to pick up everyone and go to Macaroni Grill for lunch.

I don't even want to know the amount of calories that I consumed in the three days of birthday festivities because it frightens me. I could feel every single one of them hanging around me while running this morning. Sure hope they fell off.

But then Shawn did the most fabulous thing of all. He went to Wal-Mart for me to buy Easter groceries. I have never been happier in my life. And while he was out he bought me a second set of the new dishes my aunt had given me and got me a Starbucks gift card. Then he came home and helped me prepare all the food for Easter. I was such a happy girl.

Completely overwhelmed, definately blessed, and happy.

So this year was amazing. I sure hope that doesn't mean next years will stink.

Yikes. I'll just keep reliving this one:c)

Thanks to the most amazing, most generous husband out there! Love you hunny!

Bath Time!

2011-04-22T14:03:00.001-05:00

We've discussed here before about baths disgusting me.

We've discussed here before how Shawn bathed our daughters most of their younger years and that they were all showerers by age 2.

But if there was ever a bathtub that could change my mind, this just might be it.

If only I had $2,500 to spare, and a new house with a bathroom this would fit in.

So I'll just stick with baths grossing me out.

It saves me money.

And sanity.

Ethanol

2011-04-21T13:56:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to go into gas prices and how I'm not enjoying owning a SUV right now.

I'm not going to go into gas with ethanol versus gas without it.

But I am going to share a sign I saw that makes me wonder how stupid people can be.

Do you see it? I would never buy gas from a place that can't even spell.

And with my SUV, I need a whole lot of gas.

Their loss.

Lost Love

2011-04-20T12:53:00.001-05:00

I love many things about our house, and hate many things about our house.

It is holding up well for 64 years old though.

I love the real brick in the entry way. I hate the fake brick linoleum in the kitchen.
I love the real wood floors we refinished in the bedrooms and hallway. I hate the real wood floors in the living room and dining room that couldn't be saved.
I love the original black and white basket weave tile in the downstairs bathroom. I hate the tile that goes more than halfway up the walls in there.
I love my original vent-a-hood over the stove in the kitchen. I hate the sound that comes out of it when I use it.

So we called a repairman.  The first thing he told me was I had the Cadillac of vent-a-hoods. Top of the line for its day. The two speeds, the light button, and especially the brushed chrome finish were very expensive when it was purchased. I have always loved the retro look of it. I'd re-do the whole kitchen with retro everything if it matched the rest of my house and inherited furniture. I was kind of laughing though at his obvious love for it.  I was so upset to hear that the bearings on the motor were shot. A few days later I got the call-it can't be saved. The warranty program we use for home repairs found a white on white one at Sears for the $200 they're going to give us to replace it. Excuse me?  You don't replace vintage brushed chrome with white on white.

So Shawn and I went shopping.

And you know what we found out?? You can't easily replace the Cadillac of all vent-a-hoods. Apparently the standard width of them is 30 inches. Ours is 42. Nothing we do at our house is easy. Or cheap.

So we will soon be ordering one. I'm still struggling with my loss. Even though the vent hasn't worked for a while I use that light every single day. Numerous times. Since the repairman came it hasn't worked. He must have disconnected it. I, being a creature of habit, have tried to turn it on about 73 times per day in the last week. Ask anyone in my family and they'll agree.

I am slowly losing my mind.

When I complained to Shawn that it was harder to cook he fixed my problem. He got the camping lantern out and set it on the stove. Such a helper. But when I complained that I liked my lighting from overhead he said he could fix that as well. He got his camping head lamp out, put it on his head, pointed the beam at the food, and stood next to the stove for me.

So I'm continuing to cook while we search for the perfect replacement. But I either have to stop cooking or be medicated. I can't stop pushing that button!

So, do any of you have a RangeAir vent-a-hood in brushed chrome, with two fan speeds and a light? Or a Percoset?

Anyone??

Nike Women's Half Marathon

2011-04-19T09:54:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again. Time to sign up for the Nike Half Marathon in San Francisco. I would love a second chance at that race. Without a broken foot. I'd love to visit that city again. I'd love to get another Tiffany necklace. I'd love to see the views. I'd love to take a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. The boot and the overwhelming pain the day after the race prevented that. Well, that and I didn't know about it until the day after.

As an alumni I would only have to raise $2950. Not exactly a good deal for me since last time I only had to raise $2500. But certainly cheaper than $3500 all the newbies have to raise. But....I can't fund raise again. You all don't want me to. My friends, neighbors, and family don't want me to. All the people I've ever known in my life that have an address I can find don't want me to. I know people are tired of seeing my letters in their mailbox, and inbox, and seeing me in person. Fund raising twice in a little over two years is a bit too much. I know. But to those of you who gave me money for either one, I am so eternally grateful. I loved doing my part to help find a cure.

But I don't feel like I'm done with these organizations. Since I lost my mom and grandma to breast cancer my loyalties lie there. So I will continue to run the Race for the Cure every year. But someone questioned me when they heard I was doing so much for leukemia research and asked why I didn't do that for breast cancer research. I really didn't know what to say to that. Then I found out that a drug that was funded by a LLS grant by TNT raised money is being used for breast cancer. There you go, it's all working together. That made me feel so much better.

But, I still can't fund raise again. So when I got an e-mail asking if I'd help plan the kick-off program, I was all for it. After two meetings picking themes, colors, decorations, and food, last night it all came together. I was in charge of pictures. Fitting, don't you think? I took pictures from previous races, turned them black and white, and then re-colored in one or two colors. Since we run in purple singlets, it was an easy choice. I then had them printed and matted them on colorful scrapbook paper. I'd love to show you pictures of this...but I didn't take any. Want to know why?

Because I was taking pictures of, and eating, these.

Holy calorie load Batman, they were fabulous. The amazing Ruth made them. She is a leukemia survivor and an award winning baker, cake decorator, and sugar artist. Click here to read more about her. The last paragraph is my favorite. She's done 5 of the last 7 Nike races. So her necklace collection? Amazing. She wears them all on one chain with spacers between them. So to entice people to sign up, she put a edible silver charm that exactly matched each necklace on a cookie, on top of the amazing parfait. Why she weighs about 70 pounds I'll never understand. She must not eat anything that she eats.

I ate this one. It has my necklace on top. It. Was. A. Maz. Ing.

So I ate the parfait, and quite a bit of pita chips from the snack table, and didn't sign up. It was hard not to. The kick-off meetings are so inspirational. But I didn't. But I did sign up to be an assistant coach for the fall season. So I still get to be apart and don't have to raise money. The best of both worlds!

And I still get to spend time with amazing people like Ruth.

How can you say no to that??

This Is Just Wrong

2011-04-18T09:07:00.053-05:00

I grew up in a mixed marriage house.

A blended family.

It was an over the top or down behind marriage.

I'm talking toilet paper here people.

My mom won the battle and for most of my life before my dad left it was over the top. A few times though he snuck it in. But of course after he left is was always over the top. That was odd because my mom's sister and dad and step-mom were all down behind people. I guess my mom was just the smartest of the bunch:)

For most of my life I have gone around flipping rolls over. Never at someone's house, that's just wrong, but at public bathrooms. Okay, maybe at some houses...but only if it was a guest bath and I knew they wouldn't be using it themselves. I have some morals.

Shawn's family is an either or type. I've never figured out which they are. But I'm more than happy to flip it for them. I'm such a good in-law, aren't I? Shawn has just always gone for my way. He's flexible like that.

A person I follow on Twitter posted this handy reference. It shows you the reasoning behind the right way to do it.

So imagine my surprise when I found this in the bathroom this morning.

My text 'Is this some kind of joke' got the reply, 'Just being ornery'. He'll pay. Trust me.

So let me hear from you. Which way do you hang yours? The right way, or the wrong way?

And if I can handle what might come of it, some day we'll discuss if the lid should be up or down. I might need therapy before I go there.

I Think We Had Some Wind

2011-04-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

That's actually a complete understatement. It has been incredibly windy here for weeks! Up to 60 mph gusts.

After seeing this this morning on the way to school I am so grateful we have a garage. I know this didn't do any damage to this truck, but it could have! The bigger pieces were all around the truck on the road. I would have taken a picture of that...but I was...in my jammies. I sure hope I'm not the only one who drives my children to school in my jammies!

Because we are out of everything, I had to go to Sam's and Wal-Mart. In 60 mph winds. I bought enough that I had to take the carts out to the car. Did you know that carts have wheels? It was ugly, I'm not going to lie.

When I was driving home I kept noticing something blowing across the streets. I thought it was loose leaves. But nope. Not in Oklahoma. It was the ends of branches. New, just grown, tips of branches. I tried a few times to take a picture of one but I just ended up running around my driveway chasing it like a loon. So here you go.

Isn't that sad?

And I don't mean my original countertops that won't ever be white again, I mean the branch! Focus please.

Well, I'm off to try and comb my hair. Wish me luck. And send conditioner.

Scenes from Staging 2

2011-04-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

We are back at it again! Staging two new model homes for a local builder. In the smaller home we are staging it from top to bottom. In the larger home we are doing light staging; kitchen, master bedroom, and master bath.

You know what that means! Shopping!!

Here are some of the fun things I've found this week.

This is apparently a big trend now. That thing is $400! But don't worry, it's half price.

After seeing this two weeks in a row I have decided I'm still confused. Is it a parody of a psychiatrist...or is it an insult to pear shaped women? Either way, it's just wrong.

It takes a lot of pillows for four total beds.

People stare when you buy this many pillows.

This? This just cracks me up.

After going to two of the biggest furniture stores in town back to back I found out that artichokes are all the rage.

I don't think I'd put a big, heavy, pointy, fake artichoke on my couch though.

Oh, and we bought this love seat. And the matching couch.

We did not buy the artichoke.

Try not to be disappointed.

And then there's this.

I need this.

I want this.

I can't live without this.

But I have to. It doesn't go with my 65 year old house and my traditional furniture.

I'm sure they won't mind if I come in from time to time in my jammies with a cup of coffee and a People magazine and curl up for a while.

They're cute jammies!

Prom!

2011-04-13T00:32:00.001-05:00

Remember me telling you about my fabulous friend Jalene? And that we were shooting prom together? If not, pay attention!

Kidding:c)

Prom was Saturday and I must say, it was so much fun! I attended the same school but we weren't allowed to have proms because of an old will, a man of many beliefs, and a church. It's too much to go into now. We had banquets. They were fun...but now I know what I was missing.

Jalene handled the posed pictures and I shot candids. I fought off and on with my external flash, but finally when all the lights were turned off for dancing (except some strobe lights, don't worry) I got it. But what I found out about high schoolers dancing is, they dance toward the center of the room. I have a lot of pictures of behinds. And the two times I pushed through to the middle? It was dangerous! I still got some good shots though. Jalene on the other hand? Not many people wanted posed. Sad really. Those that did didn't have money with them. From what we've heard about the previous photographers, people weren't impressed. Hopefully we can build trust and show them how awesome we are, and by the Fall Ball (that we also get to shoot), they'll know we rock!

I could share some of my favorite pictures from the evening, but instead I wanted to share the most popular one.

This is the picture I put on Facebook to ask which shoe was better.

It got a lot of comments. And the results were split almost down the middle. Luckily I was too distracted after I took the picture to take them off so I picked the bow one based on comfort. Sadly an hour and a half in they were no longer comfortable. Thank goodness I'd worn flip flops there to set up and switched into them before the dancing started:)

And about the dancing. I'm a good little girl who never really learned how to. My church didn't condone dancing so I just never did it. Times have changed and now it's okay. Sadly it's too late for me. I can step touch, but that's about it. But you know what happens when you're taking pictures of dancing teenagers for three hours? You have to let it out! I busted out a few step touches every once in a while. It felt so good!

Don't worry, it was dark and I doubt anyone saw me.

They were blind from my flash:c)

A Day Off!

2011-04-12T12:25:00.003-05:00

Do you remember that excitement when you had a day off of school? You stayed up late the night before and slept in the next day, just because you could? Well my girls were planning a late night last Thursday. They were just waiting for Shawn and I to leave the den and the remote to them.

But they didn't quite make it.

My Curly Hair

2011-04-11T23:13:00.002-05:00

My first day back to running didn't start well. Cold, windy, and drizzling. But I was going no matter what. Mainly because I knew Karreen would be waiting on the corner. That accountability can really come back and bite you in the behind, can't it? So my straight hair and I started out. And when I got back I had 'the curls'. Not the wavy, half curly, have to work really hard on it curls. 'The curls'.

The pretty/could never make it happen on my own/would pay big bucks for/perfect curls.

Can you see it? You have to look close because it's only the top layer of my hair! I've discussed my cursed hair before, but it bears repeating.

Sigh...If only I could make that happen without a cold drizzly run.

My New Love

2011-04-08T21:18:00.001-05:00

I know that I am constantly falling in love with things. New phones, photography things, food...but this is a new love.

I have found the perfect toenail polish.

For about three years now I have been completely faithful to OPI's Midnight in Moscow. It's the perfect black without being black. That makes sense, don't worry. I strayed a few times, but always came back.

My friend Karmen gave me the best tip a few years ago. Own the color you get when you go for a pedicure. That way if you get a chip before you're ready to go back you can fix it yourself. That tip has saved me so many times.

I had forgotten to take my perfect shade a few months before the San Francisco half marathon so I picked a pretty purple. I loved it. It was so TNT purple. When I went back for my pre-trip pedicure I picked what I thought was the same color and it turned out pink. Bright pink. Luckily our Mitchell's Angels shirt were pink so it all worked.

Since then I haven't had a pedicure. I'm not in training so I can't justify it. My feet look bad, yes, but that doesn't matter. Well, I found a way to make it justifiable. When you put your feet into bed at night and slip them under the sheets...and the sheets go with them...it's time. Luckily I started training for my next half marathon a week later.

When I walked in I knew I wanted purple. The purple I'd had before. I picked the darkest one I could find and set in for my time with the massage chair, I mean the pedicure! But something happened as my lady was shaking my bottle....I saw what the lady next to me had on. I instantly asked for it. Five minutes later it was mine.

So here's to my new love.

It's glittery, but dark, but light. Yes, I know that makes no sense. Let me 'splain.

In indoor light it looks brown. In outdoor light it looks purple. And in direct light it sparkles.

Hello perfect color!

I'm thinking it's time for another pedicure:c)

And in case you are wondering, I believe it's China Glaze. I'm pretty sure that's the only brand they have at my place.

Go forth, paint!

i heart crumbs

2011-04-07T20:08:00.012-05:00

I have a sweet friend I met when I joined the Phoenix Mitchell's Angels. I fell in love with Renee the first time she opened her mouth. She's hilarious! And sweet. And cute. I could so easily hate her, but she won me over with her humor. Not only does she run and entertain me with her Facebook status updates, she also bakes. Amazing things. And she wanted me to take pictures of her creations so she could start a website and eventually a bakery.

We started with cupcakes.

My newly purchased studio lights and I showed up at her house this morning ready to go. But the girl wasn't ready! Her excuse? She can't do the math to half a recipe so she just made 11 full recipes of cupcakes. They were everywhere. Literally.

As I set up she got started. 6 pounds of butter, 9 bags of powdered sugar, a Prozac, a 5 hour energy drink, and a Red Bull later...she'd made 9 different recipes of icing and frosted enough for me to photograph.

Here are some of my favorites.

My New Phone!

2011-04-06T10:10:00.001-05:00

I have moved up in the world! When Shawn got his Evo in December I was not envious at all. Not one little bit...nope...

I liked my small Hero.

It was hand sized.

I didn't need the bigger screen...or the better storage...or the cool kickstand.

I was fine.

No really. I was.

But then something happened. Reagan was invited to go out of town for Spring Break with a sweet family. Way out of town. To the middle of no where. We love and trust this family no matter what but thought it would be nice if Reagan could get a hold of us if she needed to. Plus her friend got a phone for Christmas and we knew Reagan would enjoy having one to play on also on the car ride.

Blah, blah, blah.

I got an Evo!!!

It's amazing. Huge. Tons of storage. Runs faster. And let's be honest here, looks cooler. Shawn has the black one and I got the mulatto one, half black, half white. It's cooler than his. But don't tell him that. He might not be able to handle it. Mine is so cool and rare that I couldn't find a picture of it. I did find this though. Isn't it cute? I have of course customized all the screens and downloaded all my favorite apps and quite a few new ones.

Daily Ab, Butt, and Arm workouts? I have that.

Words with Friends (Stefunkc) and Word Feud (Stefunk)? Of course.

Cardio Trainer? Wouldn't be caught without it. I got a widget that shows the calories I've burned for the week in the top menu bar. I'm slightly addicted to it. I better hurry this post up. I need to go for a run.

Weather Bug? Love it. It can tell me the exact wind speed for the day. That way I can whine about it on Facebook while doing yard work in it.

Shazam? But of course. That has helped me out so many times. I hear a song, Shazam it, download it from my free music app, and add it to my running playlist. My life is complete.

And Reagan's is too. I don't know how though...her phone is so small and has such limited storage:c)

How My Blog Got Its Name

2011-04-05T19:52:00.002-05:00

I knew my day was going to be full. On my agenda on my phone the days events took up a full screen. I have a big phone. (Oh! I haven't blogged about my new phone! I will tomorrow:)

It started with meeting the builder representative at the newest model we'll be staging soon. We wanted to meet the community manager because she has some pretty specific ideas (ahem), but she couldn't be there. Instead we took pictures and apologized to painters and carpenters. Then we headed to a local furniture store to start picking things. When my boss is on a mission she walks three times her normal pace. I added the shopping to my calorie burning for the day because I thought it was only right.

I got to come home for an hour and a half that I spent working on a new website I'm in charge of and e-mailing my mentor group for an upcoming marathon.

And not doing laundry. Shhhh....don't tell.

Too soon I was headed to drinks with my boss and a prospective client. Three waters. Our bill for the three of us was $3.24 for the chips and salsa. Talk about a good deal on a work meeting!

Too soon I had to leave that to pick up Reagan for gymnastics. As soon as I dropped her off I had to run back to school to get her sisters from musical practice. Then back to make a stop at Hobby Lobby for 6th grade science project supplies. Then the race to gymnastics to get Reagan in time. By the time I got home I'd driven 30 miles, on the same street! Such is the life of a mom though.

In case you were wondering, that's not good for gas mileage on an '03 Expedition.

After racing through our chores we grabbed whatever we could find for dinner and spend the rest of the night bonding with the furniture in the den.

My couch had missed me:c)

Shimmers!

2011-04-04T19:23:00.000-05:00

The weather might still be deciding what it wants to do; be cold and rainy, or hot and windy, but Shimmers is not waiting around.

Our tongues are so happy!

I may or may not have already had 4.

Okay fine, 5.

But for the first time in a long time, I'm ready for summer!

I hate wearing a coat and eating a snow cone. It just seems wrong.

Times Are A'Changing

2011-04-01T19:08:00.002-05:00

Growing up across the street from my current house meant I was here all the

time.

Plus, the only kids in the neighborhood lived here.

And I was a latch key kid.

And I was bored a lot.

And, they had a pool.

So basically, I was here all the time playing with Jeff and John.

Oh, and Harold, my second Dad, made amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies. And Martha, my second mom, would set a place for me at the table with no question or invitation needed. The only way they could keep me away was on sauerkraut night. I could smell it at the porch and would just head back home.

I played basketball, rode bikes, skateboarded, and just about anything else to pass the time in their extra long driveway. But what two of my girls and a neighbor friend did over the weekend never happened when I was growing up here.

Makes me wonder what their children will be doing in the driveway. Not that my girls will ever be allowed to grow up and get married....

Spring!

2011-03-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

Spring has finally sprung in Oklahoma!

Oh, not really. It was miserable and rainy and cold just a few days after these were taken.

Sigh.

Now I've Seen It All

2011-03-30T14:27:00.001-05:00

McKinley, the girl who begged for braces, could so be done. Sadly she's only 15 months into 28. She's sooo regretting asking for them. But as of today the hated Herbst is gone! The orthodontist only does adjustments after 3 (after school) so she had to miss school to get it removed. Since our school has exemptions which means no semester tests, it is not good to miss school. 3 absences and you're taking the tests. That is a big deal. So we waited an extra month and got a 7:30 a.m. appointment. That for a child who sleeps until the last possible minute to get up and get ready for school was hard. But worth it.

The Herbst came off easily enough but they had to put spacers in to make room for what would come next week. The spacers hurt. By the time she got home she was miserable. She actually said she'd rather have the Herbst back on. That my friends, is huge.

So what's a starving girl with tooth pain supposed to do?

Use a straw, of course!

Shawn has no excuse...except that he wanted to see if the peas in the salad would fit through the straw. So like I said, no excuse.

Merry Christmas?

2011-03-29T14:17:00.000-05:00

How do you think this survived the last two and a half months?

In the back yard.

Did it feel all alone?

Abandoned?

I knew it was missing but after circling the tree several times it was no where to be found. There are 5 others like it and if we'd found those why couldn't we find it? I finally decided that it had fallen and been vacuumed up. Where else could it be?

Now if someone could please tell me what I did with it after carrying it around for an hour hooked to my pinkie...and bringing it inside, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Finally.

2011-03-28T10:01:00.026-05:00

There's a restaurant around these parts that's known for it's fried chicken.

We've never been able to go because it's over 30 minutes away and Shawn has to be that close to the hospital. But something happened tonight. He wasn't on call. I don't know how that happened. I don't think he is either. But we decided to celebrate. With chicken. We're fancy around these parts. The girls had a piano thingie at 7:30 so even though he wasn't on call, we still had to rush. Luckily it was a miserable rainy day and the highway was almost empty and there was plenty of seating when we got there.

If you're going for fancy, this is not your place. You seat yourself, there's no printed menu (it's hung on the wall and shellaced into the table top), and no plates. Luckily I'm a sucker for history so it's all okay.
But there is one problem. I don't do bones. I eat meat that's on a bone...but only if someone removes it for me. Luckily I married an awesome man who is willing to do that for me. But I also got a BBQ sandwich just in case:) Let me just say, I was the only one who didn't care for the chicken. Or the sandwich. And I couldn't have the nachos because they used canned cheese. But the fried okra?? So worth the whole experience.

Oh, and the windows made it more fun.

So if you ever find yourself in, of all places, Okarche, Oklahoma, stop by and get yourself some Eischen's.

And let me know if you don't like meat on the bone. I can't be the only one.

Child Labor

2011-03-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

We have four neighbors we share our fence with. Two are fabulous. Two are not. Three have Trumpet Vine that have eaten through our fence posts and support beams. The fence has fallen over on two of those sides. On one side we had it propped up all summer long. On the other the vine is so immense that the fence is just leaning up against it. Sigh. Since I married into a family that doesn't hire if they can do it themselves, we spent our Spring Break fixing a fence. I grew up as a worker so I love it. And I'm glad my girls are seeing that with a little hard work they can accomplish a lot. I'm sure our neighbors appreciated the fact that 20 minutes before the loud roofers left for good, we started at our fence with hammers and crowbars. We're nice like that. To save money we saved as many pickets as we could to reuse. I messed up plenty of them before I realized by going into the neighbors yard and taking them off from the back, I saved a lot more. It only took me about 15 ruined ones to figure that out. With three hammers and two crow bars the pickets came down pretty quickly.And soon after that the posts and supports were gone. To reuse the pickets we had to remove 6 nails in each one. That probably took longer than anything else. Luckily we had our sweet little slaves. I mean girls. After $500 and a loaded down flat bed cart at Home Depot we were ready to rebuild. Since we know it's nearly impossible to kill Trumpet Vine we used metal posts. And since the bright fence builders before us had put the post 12 feet apart we had to dig new holes. Shawn did the first two and with a tiny bit of his help, I did the next five. We used a hand auger that had been my Grandpa's. I love that. Using something that was his meant so much. I also was sure I was burning some serious calories. The leveling and pouring the concrete mix in took what seemed like forever though.After Shawn put the supports on we started nailing the pickets back on. 700 nails. Hello sore hands. We all took turns. McKinley could not get a nail to go in straight so she decided to get on the roof and start scraping paint off. So now our fence was on its way to looking fabulous and our house looks awful. Oh well, it's the thought that counts. Kennedy and I did the pickets until Shawn saw that we were going a little bit wonky. He had to take over. He's all about quality and wanting a straight fence. Whatever.The day the last section was finished was very exciting. Dinner had to be moved so that this momentous event wouldn't be missed. And here it is! We are very proud. And overwhelmed since this is only one of three sections we need to do. Another sigh. And since our girls worked so hard on their Spring Break we've promised them a summer beach vacation. Shawn is thinking Galveston but I'd like to go to Gulf Shores. Anyone have suggestions? We can't go far so Texas or Louisiana. Send suggestions! Oh, and we like to camp in our tent. I hate hotels. Hate. But that's another story that you don't really need to hear:c)

The New Roof!

2011-03-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

I could go on and on and on all about the roofing process...but I won't. Okay, let me say a few things. It's loud. It's faster than I would have guessed. It's loud. It's messy. It's loud. It's weird to see what is under shingles. It's loud. It's fun to walk into the attic and see the back yard tree. Oh, and it's loud.

And when it's done?? It's gorgeous!!

But did I mention that it's loud??

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

2011-03-16T22:23:00.000-05:00

We've needed a new roof since....2 years before we moved in. I'd always thought I wanted a wood shingle roof until we got here. When we bought the house our insurance said they wouldn't cover the roof unless we replaced the ridge on the pool house. We did and we've had a good relationship ever since. Well, until we tried to get our roof replaced. 5 times over about 3 years. Every roofer that said, "I know I can get your insurance to approve it." Every time, they were wrong. And guess what happened after that fifth try? Our insurance dropped us. What were we to do? We went with a different company. The day we signed the paperwork Shawn called the old company and told them he was planning on switching our car insurance. They asked why? Um, duh. When he told them they asked what they could do to keep us. Well, let me think...how about fix our roof. They agreed! So which of the 5 companies to go with? Easy choice. A friend in Sunday School has a roofing company. When our friend fell off his roof while working on it, Bill sent his crew to finish the job. Free of charge. And the next day in Sunday School, he gave the family $500 of his own money. I didn't consider anyone else. Two days before they were to start I was working on the front bushes and decided some of the front tree branches should be cut to help the roofers. I spent an hour on a wobbly ladder with some hand trimmers and then a small saw. I'm not going to lie, it was ugly. My hair got caught, I scrapped my arms, I couldn't reach what I wanted to. Ugh. Shawn got home from computer tutoring, pulled out the chainsaw, and finished the job in about 10 minutes. What is it about a man and a chainsaw? We did discuss what to cut and what not to cut, but a lot was cut. One we both agreed should be glued back on. You can't do that, just in case you didn't know. The tree looked better though. And my trimming of the bushes looked good. But now we need to paint the house and get new windows. Wish we could break up with our insurance and get those two things done as well.

You Must Be Nuts

2011-03-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

Apparently the ground is too hard. I can guarantee this squirrel that this pecan will not be there when they come back to get it.

Our Principal

2011-03-14T21:32:00.004-05:00

For Dr. Seuss's birthday our elementary principal stepped outside the box. Way outside.

I heard he would be reading Dr. Seuss stories to the elementary students in the high school auditorium so I headed that way. Somehow, and by looking at the picture you might wonder the same thing, I missed him. When I got to the auditorium I saw The Cat In The Hat and The Kangaroo, but no principal. I turned around and headed back to the elementary. Can I just say, I love that our school is pre-k through seniors in 3 blocks, all connected. Still, I was feeling the burn and was glad I'd worn my tennis shoes. I was almost through the middle school when I found him.

Staring into the windows of the middle school classes.

The screams coming from the classrooms was hilarious!

What would you do if this was peering through your door?

When Is It Art?

2011-03-11T21:22:00.000-06:00

We've always considered Reagan the artist in the house because she can draw some amazing things. And has for many years. But McKinley is becoming quite the paper artist.

Her medium is the church bulletin.

And her canvas is her legs.

And her inspiration was her upcoming birthday.Sadly her art is gone as soon as the Doxology is sung:c)

Think Anyone Will Notice?

2011-03-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

My Little Chefs

2011-03-09T20:54:00.000-06:00

My aunt was a public school music teacher for over 30 years. She was amazing. Well, she still is as a private voice teacher. I gave birth to three of her students.

She had an annual tradition for many years called the Kidnap Breakfast. A team of parents would have a list of addresses and they'd go pick the students up at some unholy hour on a Saturday morning. The students could grab one item besides what they slept in before they were rushed out the door. Soon there would be a cafeteria full of half asleep students. My grandparents, my mom, me, and more devoted parents would be the cooking team. We'd have to arrive at the school at 4 in the a of m to start biscuits, scrambled eggs, gravy, and bacon. Tons. We'd be cracking eggs for hours. Hours I tell you.

My grandpa Vernon was the biscuit master. I ate them every Sunday of my life with grandmas gravy and other fixings. After several years of being the chefs of the Kidnap Breakfast my aunt bought chef hats for everyone. When my mom passed away I of course got hers, but I was blessed to get grandpas also when he passed away.

McKinley pulled it out a few days ago to make omelets for everyone. She looked so cute I had to take a picture. And then Reagan pulled my moms out. But she had a few problems getting it to stay up. No worries. Kennedy stepped in to help.I love that these amazing people are being remembered in such a fun way:c)

Scenes from Staging

2011-03-08T20:39:00.001-06:00

When staging houses we come upon some of the most interesting things....I could be out of the loop here. Does my garage need a chandelier? It might be just the thing to make the final undecorated room of our house really pop.I guess this means I can't use it. But you know what happens? Even though I don't have to go at all, the fact that I can't makes me miserable.

There's also the ugly wallpaper or kitchen counter tops, but every once in a while there's something I just have to share with you all. It's because I love you all so much. I want to share the weird things with you:c) No thanks needed. It's the least I can do!

The Annual Yearbook Pimple

2011-03-07T22:39:00.005-06:00

Don't worry. I'm not going to show you a picture of it. You'd never speak to me again.

Well, read me again.

But if you are going to make me a part of your life, you need to know this.

When I get stressed one of two things is bound to happen. My face either breaks out or I get a huge migraine.

Year one of the yearbook nothing happened. Basically because the person I was assisting didn't let me do anything. Year two when I was in charge I had a migraine on the final day and spent several hours curled in a ball on the floor of the computer room closet crying. Every year since then I've had one big yearbook pimple. Of course when it's stress related it appears on my chin. The hardest place to cover. Unless I become Muslim and cover everything but my eyes. Sadly I think people would worry if I did that for a few days each year.

So I worry every year about what's going to happen, as well as if I'll finish it on time. Do I want a migraine that will last one day but keep me in bed curled in a ball the whole day in intense pain, or do I want at least two weeks of being embarrassed by my face? Really. What would you choose? I usually opt for the pimple and thank God I don't get a migraine. But still. Shouldn't it disappear the minute the yearbook is submitted? It's only fair I think.

But I submitted all my pages a few hours ag0 and it's still there. Probably because the teacher and friend that works with me and does all the classroom pages submitted hers and something went horribly wrong with the names. As in it renamed the children. That is a big problem.

I guess the pimple is now a sympathy pimple.

Still...good grief.

Middle School Banquet

2011-03-04T23:14:00.000-06:00

My little Chickadee went to her first middle school banquet tonight. Sigh. I promise she was just born.

Since she's no longer 'in a relationship' she had plans to meet to girlfriends there. I've been to three of these in a row and I've seen entertainment from a trivia game, a male beauty pageant, and a motivational speaker. This year there was a band. A band that was pretty good and engaged most of the kids. But was so loud I think some of my internal organs might have been rearranged.

My sweet friend Jalene who'd helped me with Ball pictures asked me to come help her with Banquet pictures. There weren't any posed pictures, but a place had been set up to take some for fun. I spent a lot of time there and caught some cute ones. I was trying out an external flash for the first time and we had our problems at first but eventually we bonded and ended the evening happy that we'd gone together:c)

Here are just a few of my favorites from the evening.
As I attended my fourth in a row I made some observations. Girls put a lot of thought into the evening. Boys...not so much. And most girls have never and will never wear their shoes again.

I love that:)

When Berries Attack

2011-03-03T20:26:00.000-06:00

We have a beautiful Yaupon Holly tree in our front yard. I've photographed it before and shared it on here. I love the tree. I love clipping it in December and using it to decorate for Christmas. I love that it hides the part of the house that needs to be stripped and re-painted. But what I don't like? When the berries turn black. And attack.

It happens every year, but as the tree matures, the attack gets bigger and bigger every year. It doesn't usually bother us because we don't spend a lot of time on the edge of the driveway. But since I drive through it to get in and out of the garage from time to time smashed berries do appear in the house and in my car.

But the night we had our family party my Aunt Janis parked in the worst possible spot. And then got out of the car in her tennis shoes. With the first step that she took the berries infiltrated each and every crevice in the bottom of her shoes. She didn't notice, who would? When she walked into the house I didn't notice right away but soon enough I was drawn to the black footprints across my beige carpet. So between all the other stuff I was doing, I cleaned the carpet and warned other people. Poor Janis, she spent about 20 minutes with a wire brush and an ice pick cleaning out all those crevices.

There's something about the berry once it's smashed. It becomes like super glue. Trust me, I've had a few stuck to the bottom of my bare foot lately. It's like removing a wart from a witches nose.

During her cleaning time Shawn went outside and swept the berries over so she wouldn't step in them again. A few days later he took a straight edged shovel out because the smashed ones were hermetically sealed to the concrete. But I called him in for dinner before the massive pile was cleaned up. And a week later neither one of us had taken the time to dispose of them. So a week of driving over them? Yeah, it got ugly.So a few days ago I attacked. With a push broom with a scraper on one side and a shovel, I fought the berries...and won.

And then we trimmed the tree and shook tons of berries back down.

Sigh.

We are under attack once again.

Help.

Family Party

2011-03-02T09:03:00.002-06:00

We had a family party a few days ago to celebrate my Aunt Pat's 65th birthday. The party was really to introduce her one and only granddaughter, Olivia, who joined our family in July. Olivia flew all the way from San Francisco for the occasion. She was nice enough to bring her parents Scott and Adrienne with her as well. You might remember them from their beautiful wedding in Tucson. When trying to plan dinner for 27 people the restaurant choices were pretty slim. I got a phone call from my Aunt Marcia saying that since we had a big house and were centrally located she wondered if we'd host. I of course said yes because when we were renting this house and it was sold out from under us we prayed that if God gave it to us we'd use it to serve Him by opening it to friends and family. We've certainly done that with the pool. I of course said yes and started cleaning.

Do any of the rest of you look at your house differently when you know people are coming? I clean stuff I don't normally clean, like baseboards. And chandelier crystals. I like to entertain from time to time to ensure I don't lose control of the house:)

The evening came and I had to run to my Aunt Pat's house (two doors down) to take family pictures for her. Four generation pictures. That was neat. Then I ran back down to get everything ready. The rest of the evening was a total blur. My couch from the living room is getting reupholstered and I was so worried about only having a love seat. But when I sat up two card tables and eight chairs in the living room, it was wonderful to not have a couch in the way.

I'm sure the food was wonderful (because we had our traditional Christmas Eve Stack-Ups) but I spent the entire dinner time busy. I refilled ingredient dishes, put up tables and chairs, took down tables and chairs, made drinks, moved my picture table over, moved the coffee table to the den, hand picked rice out of the living room carpet, cleaned up after 11 children, and banged on the laundry room door to hush the dog.

I did sit down to eat dessert though. It's all about priorities folks.

Shortly after that I had to hop up to take group pictures. I was trying to decide where when Shawn mentioned using the professional lighting we hadn't returned to my neighbor. Soon my living room had orange extension cords, 26 people, chairs, peacock feathers to tickle the younger ones, and some sweaty people. Our house has never been able to keep up with a crowd. One vent in the living room, and one in the dining room don't really keep the temp at a pleasant place. We were all in it for the cause though.

Here are a few of the good ones. Let me say first, it is nearly impossible to get all the children and the parents and grandparents smiling at once. Or even looking at the camera. But, it was fun and shows the real family. We're not all posed types of people. We're real. And we didn't attempt to hang the backdrop. We were already losing the focus of the younger children about 3.5 seconds in.This last picture is the funniest to me. I was trying to direct Kennedy to focus first, center everyone, and count for us. And at the same time, lose 40 pounds, foof my hair in just the right place, and wonder if my makeup was melting off. I was missing what was happening on the front row. Shawn (left end) and Jeremy (right end) were cracking each other up because apparently Shawn had no idea what to do with his hands. It seems that he's never been on the front row of a picture! I have four pictures all with his hands in different places. Love that man!

After a whirlwind day and evening I was so glad we had the big, centrally located house. And you know what? Who cares about the dusty baseboards or the chandelier crystals? It was about all being together for that time. Although we really missed the cousins that live out of state, we don't know where we would have put them if they'd come!

BDD

2011-03-01T10:22:00.000-06:00

When I married into Shawn's family I had never heard of BDD. Mom shielded me from it while we were dating apparently. I was a few years in and Mom finally told me about her 'curse'. You see, she has BDD. It's not a devastating disease, but an annoying one. It makes running errands hard. It makes traveling hard. It makes being a mom hard. It just makes life hard.

I'm sure some of you suffer from this disease. I'm sure many of you don't even know it. I'm sure you, like me, will read about it, and suddenly discover that you have it. And like me, you'll never be the same again.

You see, BDD is Back Door Disease. Now matter how long you've been gone, or how much liquid you've had to drink, as soon as you see your back door, it's a race between your bladder and your legs to see if you can make it to the bathroom in time. It's a horrible feeling. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Well, yes I would. But only her. I hadn't heard about it and didn't suffer from it until the very day I was in Mom's way when we got back from a five hour car ride. It wasn't pretty. Now, I have it too.

I don't blame her, she didn't know what she was doing when she mentioned it. But now at least she doesn't suffer alone.

Who else out there is a sufferer? Who is just now finding out the scientific name for something they've always had? Who is cursing my blog because they now have it??

Love you all. And so glad to know it's not just me and Mom anymore:c)

See? I Told You

2011-02-28T22:25:00.000-06:00

Ugh. They were at least there to cheer on their cheating, rough, mean team.

But still.

Sit your tushies down.

To add to the fun, when something didn't go their teams way, they banged on the glass and yelled.

The desk is right behind them. Why didn't someone on staff say something? Probably because they're just as nervous about approaching them as I am:(

But it was all worth it since we won 12-7!

Friday Evenings

2011-02-25T08:45:00.002-06:00

Shawn is on an men's Friday night soccer team. The games are usually 9:50 or later. I've attended a midnight game.

The thing about having a late night game is the beer...and the fans.

I guess I should mention that this team plays in the hood. He plays at two different indoor arenas. This one...is scary. I am not being mean in any way when I say I am a minority when I'm there. I have noticed over the last few months though that many of the people in the stands aren't there to watch a team, it's just where they go on Friday evenings. They make a meal from the snack bar, buy lots of beer from there, and just hang out. Even at the midnight game there's quite a crowd, children also. Young children. I've sat by children who were screaming from what I'm assuming is tiredness. I've seen sleeping children shaken awake to leave.

But the thing that bothers me the most??

The stragglers.

Last week Shawn played on Field #1. I hate Field #1. It's basically the walkway to get to the other two fields. The stands are pushed back against the wall and people walk in front to get to Field #2. The stands were filled when I got there so I took a seat at the bottom and patiently waited until the previous fans left so I could move up. Shawn is goalie and the only way to see him when he's on the opposite end is to be on the top row. The game started and no one moved. The team joined their fans and my view decreased. The players didn't exactly sit though. Basically they stood in front of me to have their after party. When the case of beer showed up it got worse. They were in no hurry to leave. The children slowly left to go somewhere else to play so I was able to move up a little bit but this still happened a lot.
I didn't think to snap the picture when there were 7 of them. But this guy never sat down once. He stood there, blocking my view, the entire game. The entire game. I got to the point where I just stood up. I am always afraid to say anything. I value my life a little tiny bit. Most of these people are pretty rough. So I just sat there getting madder and madder and sick to my stomach. That happens to me when I'm nervous or mad. Plus it was a pretty intense game. With Shawn as goalie I'm usually sick to my stomach anyway. We left after Shawn's game and the crowd in the stands was still going strong. I needed some fresh air and possibly a stiff drink.

We'd won, but I still was fuming.

Oh, and the red sign to the right of the blockade?

"DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF GLASS"

Ugh.

It's Friday again. Wish me luck.

One More Reason I Love My Boss

2011-02-24T11:32:00.000-06:00

Texts between us:

Her:Did I just snag the new hose? Yes, yes I did.

Me:Say it isn't so.

Her:In addition, I am struggling with the issue of transporting the child and the ficus at the same time.

Me: Strap one of the two to the roof of the car.

Her:It will have to be the boy. The ficus would never survive the trip up the turnpike.

Me:I agree with that choice.

Her:Why have you left me in my hour of need?

Me:So sorry. The free lunch and candy only got you so far.

Every moment I spend with her is hilarious!

Except when we're transporting fake ficus trees.

I Have My Life Back

2011-02-23T21:25:00.000-06:00

It took forever, but I finally finished the Ball pictures. Okay, it was under two weeks, but it felt like forever. In total, I edited 124 pictures. I brightened their eyes, whitened their teeth, cleared their complexions (if necessary), brightened the colors, and sharpened everything. It really made for a good picture, if I do say so myself. Then I uploaded them all to Sam's and set about ordering close to 200 copies. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing people sitting in front of a black background. With bright eyes and white smiles. I was overwhelmed.

But.

It.

Is.

Finished.

Just in time to realize the elementary school yearbook I'm in charge of is due. Soon. Very soon.

My tongue is still stuck to the roof of my mouth from licking 123 envelopes, but that's another story for another day.

I just had to share some of my favorite pictures.

That tall girl is really goofy. Wonder who she belongs to. This is one of Reagan's best friends. Isn't she beautiful? She has the sweetest personality to go with it. I could keep her as one of my own if her parents wouldn't mind. They do though. Not that I've asked...I just know. Who else thinks these two need to go into modeling??? Love this picture! And now for my very favorites. I am truly blessed!

I thankfully learned some things from all of this.

1. Have more than one assistant to help with order form filling out. I did a lot of standing around...as did the people in the line.

2. Black backgrounds are a little...one dimensional. I need to invest in a yearbook one. You know what I mean? Or an Olan Mills one. Does that help explain it?

3. I will wear more comfortable shoes! If I own any.

4. I will get my lazy couch shaped tushie off the couch and get a wet rag to seal the envelopes with. My tongue might never forgive me.

5. I would do it all over again to help raise over $1,000 for a school system that I absolutely love.

6. And I'll take the sweet deal my neighbor offered me to purchase the lighting I borrowed for the evening. Because I can't wait to do this again next year!

So now I move on to the yearbook....which is due in less than a week. Send help...and coffee...and pictures. I don't care if the kids don't go to our school. I'm that desparate...and pathetic.

Goodbye forever.

Or until next week.

Presidents Day!

2011-02-22T15:44:00.000-06:00

Since Presidents Day fell on McKinley's 15th birthday we celebrated her for breakfast and lunch and presidents for dinner. It was our traditional meal (I'm saying that because I forgot to take pictures.) I did take Lincoln Log Cabin pictures so I'll share just a few:)

We of course had to have candles and the happy birthday song, so the cherry pie had to do. It worked! And was delish.

Yum.
Hope you all had a wonderful Presidents Day:c)

15

2011-02-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

How is this possible? I promise, she was just born. Do all moms feel that way or is it just me?

Here are my 15 favorite things about my Sweet Pea.

1. She was 11 days late and was born very sick, but she was a fighter and even with 67 sticks to get an IV started, she grew stronger every day.

2. God has given her an amazing singing voice. She doesn't want anyone to hear it though:{
3. She picks times to be a sweet big sister.
4. She is always willing to be my photo subject.
5. She inherited her mothers beautiful long eyelashes:c)
6. She's a great friend.
7. She's a wonderful help around the house.
8. She's always ready with a funny face to lighten the moment.
9. She is an award winning cookie baker.
10. She is obsessed with chickens and Mustangs. Random? Yes she is.
11. She's hot.
12. She's ending one musical study but beginning a new one.
13. She's famous and often bargain priced.
14. She's following most of the rules and taking excellent care of her braces. And trust me, we've discussed the consequences. (See picture on #13 since I can't find a better braces picture.)

15. She's beautiful. And she's all ours:c)

More Guinea Info

2011-02-18T20:48:00.000-06:00

My sweet sweet lifelong friend Jani sent me an e-mail about my guinea post. You see, she lives on the street where the guineas spend the most of their time.

Here's what she had to say.

Just read your blog about the Guineas. Anytime you want to see them just come park on our street. They wander from house to house all down our block. The lady next door to us feeds them so they hang around her house a lot. But I have to tell you...if they get separated from each other...oh my...the noises that come out of those birds can be SO annoying because they don't stop until they are back together! They also get on our front porch and peck at our storm door. One time my youngest hadn't shut the storm door all the way and I came
walking by the piano and see a head sticking in my house. Scared me to death!!!!! LOL

Anytime you want to hang out on our street...you are most welcome too. :o)

Isn't that hilarious? I'd completely forgotten about the sound they make. Probably because I had blocked it from my memory. As soon as I read her words I could hear it. And now I can't shut it off.

But, they're still cute. If they'd eat mosquitoes around the pool during the summer, I might consider getting a pair for our street!

My Left Boot

2011-02-17T14:14:00.001-06:00

I have favorite winter boots. They're not for warmth, they're for looks. Almost every time I wear them someone comments on them. I heart them. Bunches. I found them at a ritzy consignment store on $1 shoe day. I actually looked past them several times, but a weird lady who was also there told me I should try them on. I'm so glad she did! They're comfy and fashionable. What else do you need?

So you can see why at this moment, I am about to go crazy because I can only find one! Over a month ago I remember putting one away and telling myself, "I sure hope I can remember where I'm leaving the other one." Now why would I remember that, but not where it is? (And while we're on the subject, why would I only grab one?) I've offered rewards. I've pleaded for help. I've cleaned my house from top to bottom. I've moved furniture. The left one is no where to be found. Does that make sense?? Of course not! The house is only 2000 square feet, where could it have gone?

So my friends, if you find a perfect, stylish, comfortable, black left boot, call me. Maybe we can make a match.

I'm offering a reward:c)